


Hyper Danganronpa: Blades of Despair

by HyperDangan



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Fangan - Fandom, Fanganronpa - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Fangan, Fanganronpa, Gen, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Original killing game, Thriller, danganronpa - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2020-09-26 09:23:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 45
Words: 195,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20387425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperDangan/pseuds/HyperDangan
Summary: Sixteen exceptionally talented students start their first day at Seiko Academy, an institute built to celebrate excellence. However, the students soon find themselves trapped within the academy's walls and presented with one rule by a delirious headmaster: to escape, you have to graduate. And to graduate, all you have to do is one measly task. Murder.Prologue - [DONE]Part One - [DONE]Part Two - [DONE]Part Three - [DONE]Part Four - [IN PROGRESS]Part Five - [NOT STARTED]Part Six - [NOT STARTED]Part Seven - [NOT STARTED]Epilogue - [NOT STARTED]Our Discord server: https://discord.gg/t3m48bp





	1. Seiko Academy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the reader,
> 
> Firstly, I wish to thank you for choosing to read Hyper Danganronpa: Blades of Despair. In the swamp of not only fan-made fiction works, but of works based on the Danganronpa universe, you chose to give my little piece a glance, and for that I am very grateful to you.
> 
> This is my first attempt at writing fiction in a very long time; life has quite the habit of throwing various obstacles into one's life, and time that I could dedicate to writing quickly dissipated as I got older. Nonetheless, I finally have some breathing room, and that means I've turned my hand once again to the pen, or the keyboard in this case, and I decided to write something based on the Danganronpa universe. I thoroughly enjoy the series and the numerous fan projects that have stemmed from its simple yet memorable formula, and want to pay homage to it with my own creative license.
> 
> Although the exact text eludes me, I once read that when an author is creating his characters, his control over them is immediately relinquished; the characters have a life of their own and essentially write themselves. This was very true of Hyper Danganronpa. I found that all the characters' fates were determined before they even had names or talents. Before I could even write a description of their physical appearance, I already knew how each of them could die. This broke my heart.
> 
> I must say I had not realized how difficult it would be to write a purely text-based variation of the Danganronpa formula. There will be many challenges along the way, this I know. So I ask that you be patient - the remaining chapters (and there looks to be at least forty more) will come, but I want to deliver a quality product that has been looked over with an editing eye or four (I wear glasses, just a little joke).
> 
> I hope that you, the reader, go on a journey when you read this fan project. I hope that Hyper Danganronpa gives you moments of joy, humor and serenity, but also of sadness, heartbreak and anger. I have no doubt that you may come to love a character that may or may not see the last page, but know that it was just as hard to write this as it is to read it.
> 
> May your reading experience be tinted with hope - The Author
> 
> \---
> 
> Please note that I do not, nor do I claim to own Danganronpa or any of its affiliate products. This is a fan creation and as such NOT an affiliate product of Danganronpa. However, all characters in this fan creation are my own, so please do not use them without my permission.
> 
> I happily endorse (constructive) criticism as I write and publish chapters of this series, but please do not harass myself or anyone else who is trying to enjoy the work.
> 
> Follow this work on Twitter: @DanganHyper (Hyper Danganronpa: Blades of Despair)

A gentle breeze was blowing as I observed the sight that lay before me, loosening a few strands of my bright red hair to fall in front of my eyes. I brushed them aside and took in my surroundings, scarcely able to believe that I was standing here. In front of me stood Seiko Academy; tall, majestic and imposing, the academy was at the center of the city, and to me it seemed even the streets brimming with bustling people, small vendors and beggars gravitated around its tall walls. Everyone knew the name Seiko Academy, for it had one of the most prestigious reputations in the whole country, perhaps the whole world. Only the most exceptional students are accepted into the school and to even be considered, you must be the very best at what you do. In fact, students who enroll at into Seiko Academy are known as 'Ultimate' students, and it is said that once an Ultimate student has graduated, they are successful for the rest of their professional days. The enrollment process is made even more secretive by the fact that there is no application to the academy; you must be headhunted by the staff themselves. Some have heavily criticized the academy, arguing that it promotes elitism and is unfair to the common citizen. Until I had received an invitation myself, I was of the same opinion – it was difficult for me to accept that a simpler life was being denied to me simply because I was not born 'Ultimate'. At least, that's how I used to think, but there I was, standing at the academy's high-arched cast-iron gates with a letter in my hand. I read again, despite already knowing it word for word:

_Dear Ms Orito Asaji, _

_I am delighted to inform you that you have been offered a place in the 100th class of Seiko Academy as the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student. Your Ultimate Talent was decided when your name was drawn from the Ultimate Luck Lottery, which chooses one regular high-school student at random to join the other Ultimate students in their studies at our prestigious academy._

_Preparations are already being made with your parents to have your belongings moved to your dormitory, so please be aware that while enrollment to Seiko Academy is not mandatory just because you were selected, someone with your level of 'luck' would benefit from our academy._

_There is no need to reply to this letter, we will know your response based on whether or not you turn up with your fellow Ultimate Students on the first day of the semester._

_Kindest regards from the staff at Seiko Academy,_

_Kinji Ishotaru, Ultimate Administrator and Headmaster of Seiko Academy_

Rereading the letter let the gravity of my situation slowly sink its dreadful teeth into my soul, and I shivered. I was still in shock that someone like me, a teenage girl with no special traits or qualities, was able to obtain a place at Seiko Academy. I'll never forget the proud smile plastered on my parents' faces when I opened the envelope with the acceptance letter inside, screamed with joy and ran around the house celebrating the news. But now that I stood before the academy, I found my thoughts invaded by doubt and paranoia. _What if I don't do well? What if the other students see me as lesser than them because I got in through luck?_ These questions invaded my head more and more as the date of the first day of studies approached. No matter how much my parents consoled me, I could not help but think that I didn't deserve a place here. But I had come this far, so my only choice was to go in. As I walked up to the gates, I noticed a polished, copper-plated plaque above the handle, celebrating the founders of Seiko Academy. I saw my reflection in the plaque and remarked how plain and boring I am; save my bright red hair, I had no noticeable features. Boring brown eyes, a boring affinity for grey and brown clothes and an even more boring talent. I personally didn't mind; I was used to blending into the crowd and preferred to stay out of the spotlight, which was sadly not possible once word got around that I had been accepted into Seiko Academy.

Each student that gets accepted into the academy gets hunted down and 'interviewed' by the city media, though it feels more like a police interrogation. Fortunately, because of my talent I was able to avoid most of the media attention- I fell terribly ill not long after I received the letter, meaning I was bed-ridden and no one was allowed to visit me. That's what my Extreme Luck meant: whenever something good happened in my life, an equally bad event took place. Similarly, if something bad happened to me, I was compensated with some really good luck. In this case, the good news was that I avoided the masses of media attention, the bad news was that I was sick and missed out on an opportunity to see or read anything about the other students. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they all knew each other fairly well by now, and I would be the outcast in the class. I sighed. Thinking like this wouldn't get me anywhere, and I had been stood at the gates for an awkwardly long time by now, so surely people were starting to stare at me? Not waiting to find out, I tore my eyes away from the plaque and pushed on the iron gate. Rather eerily, it opened without so much a squeak. _ Perhaps there's an Ultimate Groundskeeper _, I thought to myself. I kept walking towards the front doors of the academy, the gate once again barely making a sound as it shut behind me. The academy only grew more imposing as I neared its entrance. I felt my breath hitching in my throat and my palms started to sweat. I told myself to keep it together and stopped in front of the giant oak doors of the front entrance. I panicked. I didn't think about this part. _Do I just walk in? Does someone come out and greet me? Do I knock? Who knocks on the door to a school?_ My thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind me:

"Now don't tell me you're the Ultimate Student-with-a-fear-of-doors..."

I yelped and turned to face the owner of the voice, coming face to face with a boy who had the same bright red hair as me with the exception of one dyed streak of ebony at the front. I noticed he had very dark eyebrows, with equally dark eyes to match. He was a few inches taller than me, seemed to be in good shape and had a clean-shaven, chiseled jaw. He was wearing a navy suit with a tie that matched his natural hair color, and expensive-looking brown leather shoes. He clearly knew how to present himself well, and the slight inclination in his lips as he looked at me suggested he knew he looked good and was used to people's eyes on him.

"You know, it is awfully rude to stare at someone. Though I should have expected it from you, given how long you were staring at the gates – I thought you'd never move from that spot," he said, his lips moving only slightly as he tried to suppress his amusement at my stunned silence.

_Damn, he saw that_, I thought to myself, _he must already think I'm weird_. As if reading my thoughts, he spoke again.

"It's okay though, it's nice to finally meet another student at Seiko Academy. Though, I don't recognize you from any of the press conferences or news reports, I must admit" he mused.

"Orito Asaji," I finally said. "My name is Orito Asaji, but you can call me Ori. I'm the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student. Oh, and it's nice to meet you!", I hastily added the last part on, ashamed I was forgetting my manners and getting so flustered in front of this stranger.

"Extreme Luck, eh? What makes your luck extreme?" he chuckled.

"Oh well, I guess I got into the academy by luck, since I was selected by something called the Ultimate Luck Lottery."

"Okay, but that sounds more like an Ultimate Coincidence than Ultimate Extreme Luck," he countered, "so what makes it extreme?" I didn't like the way he was testing me on my talent, since he hadn't even introduced himself. But I humored him anyway.

"Well, every time that something good happens in my life," I began to explain, "something bad happens, and vice versa. Every significant event of my life is met with an aftershock, I suppose is one way of wording it. For example, in this case I was fortunate enough to get into Seiko Academy, but that was because I fell very ill which meant I was unable to meet any of the other students. I have no idea who anyone is, nor do I know anything about them, including you."

He stopped to think for a while, and I arched an eyebrow at him, indicating for him to say something.

"That's certainly interesting, I look forward to seeing how your talent plays out in a school environment," he said, smirking. I was starting to really not like that smile of his. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Ori, I hope we can become good friends over the course of the semester." He began to walk past me, and I put my arm out in front of him, earning a slight scowl from him.

"I wouldn't say we've met, since you still haven't given me your name or your Ultimate Talent. I think that's a little unfair, don't you?" I asked, mimicking his smirk and directing it at him. I had no idea where the confidence to do this had come from, but he certainly seemed taken aback, which is what I wanted. He recovered his composure quickly and brushed the shoulder of his suit.

"Fine, you have a point. My name is Miyagawa Hitomaro, I'm the Ultimate Appraiser. The pleasure is all yours, Ori. Hopefully you have more... luck with opening these doors than you do those iron gates". Without another word, Miyagawa brushed past my extended arm and walked into the academy, not casting another look in my direction as the oak doors shut beside him loudly, making me flinch slightly. I decided then and there that I did not like the Ultimate Appraiser, and I also decided that I was content if he did not like me. I was proud of myself for rattling him, and the random bout of self-confidence made me think back to some words my mother told me before I left the house earlier that day – no matter how hard it is to hope, you must never give in to fear, Ori. Never give in to fear. My mother had a startling ability to understand my mood at all times of the day; she knew I was worried about attending Seiko Academy, especially since I preferred to stay in the shadows and have as little communication with other people as possible. But her words gave me a little extra strength as I too pushed open the large oak doors and stepped inside the academy. I would not give in to fear. As long as I had hope, I would succeed.

I just wish I had known just how much fear was awaiting inside that academy before I made that promise to myself.


	2. The 100th class of Seiko Academy

Fifteen unfamiliar faces turned towards me as they heard the doors close. Having so many eyes looking in my direction stopped me in my tracks and I tried to read their expressions. Some looked away as quickly as they had turned to face me, some smiled or nodded their heads in acknowledgement, but some looked confused. I remembered what that Miyagawa boy had said some minutes before – none of these students knows who I am, since I was sick during the media craze. First impressions are important, so I returned the smiles and nods, only to find myself scowling as soon as my eyes locked onto the dark eyes of Miyagawa Hitomaro, the Ultimate Appraiser. He was still wearing a smug expression, and I turned my attention to the girl who was stood to my right, who had just started talking.

"I guess this is everyone, right?" she said, counting the number of people in the entrance, "Sixteen students. Quite a small class, I must admit, but I won't complain, there are fewer names to remember."

"Well, now that we're all here, shall we formally introduce ourselves? I'd rather not rely on the press for all my information about my classmates," chuckled Miyagawa, the smug look not disappearing from his stupid face.

"Very well. I'm Morihei Ane and I'm the Ultimate Coleopterist," replied the girl, "and before any of you ask, a coleopterist is someone who studies and collects beetles." Morihei was only slightly shorter than I, she had bright pink and blue hair that fell almost all the way down to her stomach, and big, green marble-like eyes. She was, of course, much prettier than me, but she had some... interesting choices in clothes. She wore a pink shirt that matched her hair, which had a large print of a scarab beetle on the front, a full-length blue skirt that was also covered in a print of beetles, and even her blue pumps had small beetle fascinations. Finally, I noticed she was wearing a hair clip that was styled after an orange and red variant of the critter. Morihei saw me looking at it and reached to adjust it.

"Oh, this? It's a gift from the World Entomology Association for my discovery of a new species of beetle, which was then named after me. It's made out of- "

"Rubies and topaz, right?" interrupted Miyagawa, "that's quite the expensive gift to bring to school, isn't it?" I was really starting to dislike Miyagawa. Only one student had introduced themselves and he was already interrupting them.

"Yes, it is adorned with rubies and topaz. As for its value, it's a one-of-a-kind. It's impressive you were able to deduce the jewels on a small hair clip from that distance. Am I to understand that you're the Ultimate Appraiser?"

"You'd be correct," replied Miyagawa, "though I can appraise anything, not just jewels. Furniture, paintings, antiques, even people."

"How do you appraise a person?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't mean appraise in the sense of deducing a value. My mother wouldn't approve of me putting a value on human life. I am simply able to read people's emotions or mood very easily. There are also several other factors to a person that reveals a lot of information about them, such as clothing, posture and the way they talk," stated Miyagawa, his smug smile replaced by a serious expression as he discussed his talent.

"You just sound judgmental to me," I retorted, earning a scowl from Miyagawa. I felt distinctly satisfied with that reaction.

"I think that's ironic," he began, "given that- "

"Hey, as cute as your lovers' squabble is, are you going to let the rest of us speak?" interrupted another student with an amused smile. I turned to face the owner of the voice, and ended up looking at one of the tallest men I've ever seen. He had at least half a foot over most of us, and his clothes suggested he was a pretty casual guy: a simple green pinstripe shirt, the sleeves of which he had rolled up to his elbows, blue jeans and straps that went over his shoulders. But even more startling than his height was the abundance of tattoos that covered his visible skin. In fact, the only part of him that was clear of ink was his face; the tattoos started at his neck and worked their way down. He had medium-length brown hair that was swept to the side, and dark eyes that looked at you almost analytically.

"Nishi, don't be mean. But I do think they'd make a cute couple," hummed the girl next to the the boy. Her comment made my face heat up, and Miyagawa also seemed ruffled by the two. The boy laughed.

"Okay, Saza, whatever you say. Nice to meet you all, I'm Nishikiri Yasu, the Ultimate Tattoo Artist, and this is my younger sister, Saza. She's the Ultimate Iconographer."

"Hey! I'm only younger than you by thirteen minutes, we're basically the same age," Saza pouted.

"Almost, but not quite, little sister", replied Nishikiri, patting his sister's head affectionately, which she quickly slapped away. Saza was approximately the same height as Morihei, and she and her brother were clearly non-identical twins. Her hair was much darker; her head was shaved on the left side, while the rest of her dark curls fell over the right side and almost covered her blue eye. I then noticed that she had only one blue eye the other was red. It must be a contact, I thought, naturally red eyes don't exist. She was wearing a white t-shirt with some sort of pizza design on the front, denim shorts and blue trainers. Saza seemed pretty laid-back, and I made a mental note to get to know them both since they seemed a lot of fun.

"By the way, you never introduced yourself, Mrs Future Ultimate Appraiser", said Saza with a wink. It took me a moment to realise she was addressing me, and I spluttered out a response.

"I'm not... we're not... I barely know him... I just..."

"Easy there, girl," laughed Saza, "no need to get your knickers in a twist, I'm only joking. So, I assume you have a name?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm Orito Asaji, but you guys can call me Ori. I'm the..." I paused, I was suddenly hit with worry about my talent. I'd already seen Miyagawa's reaction to it. How would the others react to the fact that I was simply lucky? I had no actual talent, I had simply won a lottery.

"You're the Ultimate what? It can't be bad, they wouldn't recruit a student with no Ultimate Talent," assured Saza with a smile. Swallowing, I opened my mouth to speak again, but of course _he_ had to cut in.

"Ori's the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student, she got into the school via a lottery, so you're actually right, Saza, she has no talent whatsoever." sneered Miyagawa. I was speechless, and an uneasy feeling swelled in my stomach and I began to panic. Now that they knew my so-called talent, I was ready for them to reject me for it. _You'll never be one of them_, I found myself thinking,_ this is a school for people with talent, they'll probably suspend you for being so worthless_.

"Hey, Ultimate Judgmental Prick, I asked Ori about her Ultimate Talent. You want to appraise something, how about yourself and try and find some value in that lackluster personality of yours," said Saza angrily. I made a second mental note to definitely hang out with her.

"Hmph, fine. I was only trying to speed up the introduction process," huffed Miyagawa, obviously irked by Saza's abruptness.

"Well, he is right," I started, "I am the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student, and I did get accepted into the academy because of a lottery."

"So how does your talent work, exactly?" asked Nishikiri.

"Well, whenever something good happens in my life, something unfortunate also takes as a sort of balancing measure. These events aren't the same as finding money on the ground or tripping on your shoelaces, they are always big events. For example, I received the letter to join the academy, and the next day I became very sick with a highly contagious illness and was bed-ridden for the entirety of the press coverage of Seiko Academy students."

"That explains why none of us recognizes you. I knew you existed, but there was next to no data on you in the media, to the point where some magazines were saying you weren't real, and that the Academy had failed on hitting their sixteen-student quota," explained Morihei, tapping her chin with her right index finger.

"Yeah, well there you go. I hope you guys don't mind that I don't really have a talent," I almost whispered.

"Nonsense! I'd rather be friends with you than Mr Ultimate Stick-Up-His-Ass," said Saza cheerfully while scowling at Miyagawa, who returned the look in equal fervor. A few others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Now, now, let's not fight before we've even gotten round to everyone, Sazzy," said Nishikiri, ruffling his sister's hair. I breathed a sigh of relief, looked around the room and made eye contact with another female student, who quickly bounded over to me and hugged me into a crushing grip, despite being a head shorter than me.

"Sincerest greetings to you, Ori! I am pleased to engage in introductory discourse with you! Let us develop a strong bond during the academic year," the girl began jumping as she spoke, making the embrace even more uncomfortable.

"It's.... gah... nice to... meet yo-ow!" I tried to be polite, but this girl's grip was like iron and she wouldn't let go. Eventually she calmed down and I thanked my lungs for surviving the ordeal.

"Quest complete! I have engaged in a friendly gesture with another student. Next quest – introduce self to other students," she seemed to say to herself, as if we weren't in the room. She then jumped up again and beamed at us all, "the name of my file is Uehara Tsuru and Uehara is the protagonist of a great quest, though in this region, the NPCs refer to Uehara as the Ultimate RPG Player."

I was thoroughly confused by her behavior and speech patterns, but I think I understood what she was trying to say. She was obviously a devout gamer and seemed to talk to people as if she was a character in a video game. It was very unusual, but she appeared harmless. _ It will certainly be hard to accustom to her quirkiness. _ She wore a red hoodie that only slightly revealed some blue-ish bangs that fell over her forehead, but she had big, innocent blue eyes and an even bigger smile with perfect teeth to match. She wore loose brown trousers and had a toy tool belt wrapped around her waist, complete with plastic tools.

"Uehara levelled up! New skill learned – friendly gesture," as she reported this, she mimed putting money into a purse and did some sort of pose. I guess in video games, characters do this when they achieve something. I wasn't really sure as I didn't play video games. There was something charming about her innocence, but I hardly had time to reflect on it before another person started talking.

"Me next! I'm Yoneda Naosuke, the Ultimate Polyglot. It's very nice to meet you all! I hope we can all be very good friends," I turned to the boy. He was short and very thin, and was dressed in a neatly-ironed school uniform, complete with a tie emblazoned with a banner that read "Seiko Academy". He had dyed silver hair, with matching glasses that reflected inquisitive blue-green eyes. He smiled sweetly at us all, and offered to shake hands with everyone.

"So how many languages do you speak? I read that it was over one hundred!" asked Nishikiri. I scolded myself for not thinking to read up on my classmates, nor asking anyone to read information about them to me.

"Um, it's definitely not that many. I'm fluent in about fifteen, but I have advanced knowledge of about forty overall. English, Japanese, Spanish and Russian are the ones I know the best," replied Yoneda shyly, blushing slightly at the praise, "the media tend to exaggerate the extent of my abilities, it's not that simple to remember thousands of words and grammatical structures for one language, let alone forty."

"Nevertheless, that's still really impressive, Yoneda," I chimed in, making him redden even further.

"Thank you both, you don't have to be so kind-"

"Okay, enough mushy stuff, let's just get these introductions over with, please." A voice interjected our praise of Yoneda's ability, a voice belonging to a rather solemn-looking girl with dyed red hair (I began to realise at this point just how many students had hair that had been dyed an unnatural colour) who was filing her nails. She appeared bored, as though the academy was the last place on the planet she wanted to be. She had disinterested, grey eyes that seemed to want to penetrate the nearest wall and bury a hole into it. She had a grey scarf wrapped around her neck, over a medium-length red dress, patterned with golden polka-dots and a gold belt around her waist. She also had tall, black, leather boots, and she had a slightly slumped posture.

"The name's Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger. Don't wear it out. Don't talk to me unless you need to. Don't come to me with your problems. I think that covers everything, who's next?" There was a brief silence as Sanda went back to filing her nails, though it didn't last long before a boy timidly stepped forward.

"U-um, my name is Mitsumi Romi. I-I'm a d-dancer. It's nice t-to m-meet you all," he stuttered, clearly not comfortable with the attention of fifteen students (well thirteen, since Miyagawa and Sanda no longer seemed interested in the introductions). I was taken aback by Mitsumi's appearance; except for his eyes, nose and the top of his head, he was completely covered in clothing. We couldn't even see his mouth when he talked, and since he sounded muffled, it was even harder to hear him when he spoke so quietly. He wore almost all black; a black sweater over a grey shirt, black jeans and black trainers. Even his hair was ebony black. He was like a shadow.

"New quest – ask Mitsumi if they are the Ultimate Pole Dancer that Uehara heard about in the news," said Uehara in a robotic voice, "Mitsumi, Uehara wants to know if you are the Ultimate Pole Dancer that Uehara heard about in the news." Mitsumi's eyes widened and he went scarlet red, shrinking into his clothing and pulling his face mask up a little higher.

"U-um yes, th-that's right," Mitsumi replied, "b-but I don't really want to talk about that, if that's okay."

"Oh my goodness, you're adorable," remarked Saza with a small wink, making the others laugh as Mitsumi blushed even harder. "Hey, Nishi, can we keep him?"

"Sazzy, he's not a possession, he's a human. He can be our friend, maybe even your best friend. Would that be okay?" Nishikiri directed the question at the other, blushing boy.

"Y-yes, sir, that would be... n-nice. Oh!" Mitsumi realised he had referred to Nishikiri as 'sir' and went back to the tomato shade of red I had already grown used to. "I didn't mean to call you that!" Nishikiri laughed, though I couldn't help but notice that even he had flushed a bit at the formal term of address.

"It's no worry, Mitsumi. Nishi will do just fine, and that goes for everyone else too. Hey, you next to Ori, what's your name?" I turned to face the target of Nishi's question, a very short girl who was wearing an over-sized beige hoodie which had fox ears on the hood. I also realized that she was wearing fox pajama pants and rabbit-paw slippers. _Did she get out of bed just before coming here, or did she always wear pajamas publicly?_ If that were the case, I envied her confidence.

"Oh, me?" asked the girl, and I almost flinched at her voice, which sounded more like a squeak, "my name is Mina Toru, I'm the Ultimate Cryptozoologist! I have seen Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman and I've even seen a werewolf!"

"Two questions," started Miyagawa condescendingly, and I immediately rolled my eyes, "what's a cryptozoologist? And how can you have seen things that don't exist?" Miyagawa's second question obviously struck a cord with Mina, because her sweet personality immediately disappeared and was replaced with a furious one and she bared her teeth, which almost looked... sharpened.

"Listen here, you little shit," Mina growled, the sudden change in demeanor startling everyone, "I've seen them, they exist and a pompous prick like you can't and won't convince me otherwise. Understood?" Miyagawa looked stunned, as did everyone else. _Okay,_ I thought, _after I've made friends with Saza, become best friends with Mina_.

"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to startle you. I recommend not questioning my life's work, I tend to get a little... defensive," Mina chuckled, as though her earlier outburst hadn't happened. "Oh, and to answer your first question, a cryptozoologist is someone who studies entities from folklore."

I still had my doubts about whether Mina's claims about what she had seen were accurate, but now I knew better than to cross her. She seemed sweet as long as we didn't dismiss her talent. It was then that a new voice found its way into the conversation. It belonged to a large boy who was stood next to Sanda. He had thick curly hair that untidily framed itself around his round head. He wore thin-framed glasses and wore a tight-fitting suit that was unflattering in certain places. Like Mitsumi, he stepped forward and then coughed nervously.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tokunaga Carluccio. I am the Ultimate Operatic Performer. I am... how you say... one half Italian and one half Japanese, and I don't know English language well, so I'm sorry for mistakes," he had difficulty getting his words out, evidently thinking hard about every sentence he was saying.

"Oh, I read about you, Tokunaga!" exclaimed Yoneda, "you can sing in seven different octaves and have performed all over the world, earning worldwide acclaim since you were a teenager! That's really quite incredible. If you need help with your English, let me know, I'd be happy to help!"

"Thank you so much, uh, Yoneda, yes?" beamed Tokunaga. "I like the English language, so I would appreciate very much your help."

"May I speak now?" came a booming voice from behind Tokunaga, "there are still five people, myself included, who have yet to say a word in this little get-together." We all focused our attention on the guy who was speaking. He was an imposing man, not quite as tall as Nishi, but he had a quality to him that suggested that he was very important. He had dark hair that was neatly combed over, grey-blue eyes and some very expensive-looking jewelry. I counted four rings on his left hand, all adorned with different jewels, and a sparkling brooch on the right side of his chest. Despite the lavish gems, the rest of his attire was remarkably casual; black trainers, khaki trousers and a black, low-hanging t-shirt were all that he had.

"My name," he began "is Edward Lionheart. I am the Ultimate Monarch. Even before coming to Seiko Academy, you all have probably heard of me." I was flabbergasted. I was in the presence of royalty, and not just any monarch, but the king of Leonis, the most powerful and respected kingdom on the planet. _Why was he here, at this school? Didn't he have a kingdom to run?_ Catching my confused and shocked expression, he answered those exact questions.

"I am here to live out a few normal years of student life before returning to Leonis, where I shall take over the kingdom from my father, for whom I was acting king during his illness. He is now recovered and will finish his time on the throne in my absence."

"Y-your H-highness," whispered Mistumi nervously, "w-what is the difference between a monarch and the U-ultimate M-monarch?"

"Please, we're classmates, there's no need for such formalities," smiled the king, expecting that people would address him that way, "so Edward will do just fine. The difference is that I will be the youngest ever King of Leonis, that's what makes me the Ultimate Monarch. That, and the fact that I will be the King of Leonis specifically, since Leonis is the most well-respected and prosperous kingdom in all of history. But I shan't bore you with my patriotism in our first hour of knowing each other. I believe that young lady next to Saza has yet to say a word. Would you please introduce yourself?"

I turned to the student Edward was referring to, a tall girl with emerald green hair and chocolate-brown eyes. She seemed startled by the sudden attention, but quickly regained her composure and smiled warmly.

"Good day to you all. My name is Iowa Chihoko, I am here as the Ultimate Chocolatier. I have been sculpting and perfecting the craft of chocolate since I was five years old. I also avidly bake other sweet treats for those who don't like chocolate," the girl named Iowa had a smooth voice, the sort of voice you might fall asleep to if they were reading you a story at night.

"Hold on!" Saza almost shouted the words, staring intently at Iowa. "You must know about food - do you like pizza?"

"I... love pizza, actually. Why do you ask?" Iowa was evidently bemused by Saza's question, and in the corner of my eye I saw Nishi shaking his head. I soon found out why.

"I've found my new best friend," Saza said simply, catching Iowa off-guard. I couldn't help laughing at the two.

"Ooh, a little girl-on-girl action already? And here I was, thinking Ori and Miyagawa were the only two interested in boning each other on the first day," I snapped my head to the student who had made such an inappropriate comment and narrowed my eyes, Miyagawa mirroring me. We then made brief eye contact, narrowed our eyes further and turned our attention back to the girl. Tokunaga laughed.

"Oh man, your faces are very funny to me now", he said, chortling, earning more scowls from Miyagawa and I, but he did not notice.

"Looks like I touched a nerve. At least now I get to introduce myself. I'm Ouji Bunjiro and I'm the Ultimate Naturalist," stated the girl, half-smiling at myself and Miyagawa's reactions.

"O-oh, I remember you," said Mitsumi, "m-most of y-your photos had to be censored b-because they were..." He didn't finish his sentence, overcome with his signature blush.

"I think the word you're looking for is naked," said Morihei, unfazed by the notion, "she is the Ultimate Naturalist. Honestly, I'm surprised she's not naked right now."

"I was tempted," admitted Ouji, "but decided against it for your benefit. I imagine it would have been quite jarring to see one of your classmates naked on the first day. Though, if you're interested, Morihei, exceptions can be made." She said that last part with a wink, but Morihei didn't even flinch and instead shrugged.

"That's too bad," continued Ouji, before turning to Miyagawa. "How about you, appraiser-boy? Want something with a lot of value to evaluate?" she shook her chest slightly as she said and laughed as Miyagawa spluttered and looked away, going as red as his hair.

"Ouji," Yoneda gently warned, laughing too at Miyagawa's reaction, "don't tease the poor guy. It's the first day."

"Okay fine, but only because a cutie like you asked me to," conceded Ouji.

"So who's yet to introduce themselves?" I asked the group. Two students, both boys, raised their hands.

"Can we start with that absolute hunk right there?" said Ouji immediately, pointing at the taller, more muscular boy, who smiled widely at the compliment, his facing going a little pink.

"A hunk, eh? I like that," he chuckled, jokingly doing a pose to show off his enormous muscles. He was clearly a lady's man, since he even had the attention of Sanda as he posed and flexed. His head was shaved, and he had a stud earring in his right ear. He wore a tight yellow t-shirt that clung to his sculpted chest and tight jeans that left very little to the imagination, both at the back and front. I averted my gaze, ashamed of looking at him in that way, but fortunately he seemed to have not noticed since Ouji was practically salivating in front of him.

"The name's Hatanaka Shizue. I'm the Ultimate Construction Worker. If you need some extra muscle in your life, come to me. And for you," he smirked, winking at Ouji, "I won't even charge."

"Well, unfortunately for you, I charge for... what's the word you used? Ah, muscle." This conversation was swiftly becoming more and more uncomfortable as Hatanaka and Ouji had a to-and-fro of flirtatious suggestions. Fortunately Sanda intervened.

"Oh for heaven's sake, how long does it take for sixteen people to introduce themselves? Aren't we done? Who's left?" she yawned irritably, her bored eyes slowly scanning the room before landing on the sixteenth student, a tall boy with long, black hair. He wore a long grey trench coat, a blue collared shirt and burgundy trousers, but I immediately noticed how pretty his eyes were. They were golden, and piercing, like a cat's eyes. He barely glanced in Sanda's direction, his golden eyes remained fixated on the floor. Realizing he couldn't stay silent, he let out a long sigh and looked up again.

"I'm Morino Yoshimatsu." That was all he said before looking back down at the ground, pushing a few stray locks of his hair out of his face.

"That's not much of an introduction, you didn't even tell us your Ultimate Talent," noted Yoneda, pushing his glasses a little farther up along his nose as he addressed this Morino boy.

"I don't owe you an explanation," Morino stated flatly, "it's none of your business, so buzz off and leave me alone." Yoneda flinched at the harshness of the retort.

"Hey, no need to be rude, grumpy-dumpy," huffed Mina, "Yoneda was just asking you a question."

"And as I explained already, I owe none of you anything, so don't pester me with questions. I came here to study and succeed. The rest of you are irrelevant to that goal."

"Oh you're just a ray of sunshine, Morino. I'm sure that attitude will make hundreds gravitate towards you," sneered Saza, rolling her eyes.

"Wait," interrupted Sanda, "I've just remembered something. Say, Morino, you wouldn't happen to be the student with an unknown Ultimate Talent, would you?" Morino remained silent, but moved his head slightly to answer Sanda's question. _A student in Seiko Academy with an unknown Ultimate Talent? So how did the headmaster know about Morino and get him into the school?_ I realized it was pointless to try and get more information out of Morino; he had lowered his gaze to the ground and stood motionless against the wall. The others, coming to the same conclusion, left him alone and I decided to ask something that had been bothering me since I had arrived.

"So what now? I haven't seen any other students or members of staff since I got in. Has anyone else?" I asked. My question seemed to make something dawn on a few students and a few mumbled in surprise.

"Now that you mention it," started Tokunaga, "you say the truth. I have not seen anyone except this group. I wonder where everyone else is. There was no information in the invitation letter about what to do when we arrive."

"Perhaps we can just start exploring the school" suggested Edward, "though that might be risky since we haven't been given a map. I do not wish to risk being late to class on my first day at Seiko Academy."

"Maybe this is a side quest," chimed Uehara, eyes dazzling at the prospect, "maybe there is a secret entrance in this room that leads to a boss."

"That seems unlikely, Uehara, but it's good to keep our minds open," replied Nishi, trying to hide the smile that was creeping on his face after hearing Uehara's suggestion. As we continued to debate what to do, a sound suddenly reverberated around the room, like a telephone ringing. We all stopped talking and looked around for the source of the sound, but found none. Suddenly, a section of the ceiling moved, and from it a large screen was lowered. Confused, we all gathered around the screen, which was turned off. _ This is an odd introduction to studying at Seiko Academy, _ I thought. Ignoring my confusion for now, I turned my attention to the ringing which had now stopped. The screen turned white and a voice began to talk.

"Welcome to Seiko Academy," the voice started. It was a weird voice, neither masculine nor feminine. There was no intonation or inflection, just a monotonous drone that made my hairs stand slightly on end. "You have been selected for the one hundredth class at our prestigious academy by virtue of your Ultimate Talents. Well, almost all of you." The voice then started to laugh an artificial, canned laugh that sounded like nails scratching metal. An uncomfortable feeling found itself in the pit of my stomach and as I looked at Morino, who the voice had clearly referenced. His face did not betray the same worried look the others had.

"What kind of introduction is this?" queried Miyagawa, who wore a frustrated expression on his face.

"In the past," continued the voice, "Seiko Academy has been accused of being an elitist institute. As much as we dislike that word, we do not deny that the students that we select are the cream of the crop of upstanding young people in our country, and indeed the whole world. To explain further, please go through the large blue doors into the school's cafeteria, where you will meet the headmaster of the academy and his secretary. We hope you enjoy your time here, students." And with that, the voice stopped, the screen went black and rose back through the gap in the ceiling. For a few moments none of us spoke.

"Is it just me," I began, "or was that video weird? Completely unexpected and weird."

"For once, I agree with Ori," said Miyagawa, "something's not right."

"Maybe they're just b-building up our m-meeting with Headmaster Kinji Ishotaru," suggested Mitsumi.

"Yeah, I'm sure Mitsumi's right," agreed Saza, "it's probably just a preliminary test to see how we react to a different environment."

"We will discover nothing if we spend all our time in here deliberating," snapped Sanda, "so let's just go." She made for the large blue doors, and went through, not stopping to hear anyone's interjections.

"Someone sounds pent up," remarked Ouji running after the retreating Sanda, "wait up, Sanda! I'm a part-time Ultimate Masseuse!"

"Hey, no fair!" shouted a grinning Hatanaka, "I need a massage, these triceps are tense!" One by one, the rest of us followed suit and went through the door until it was just Miyagawa and I. We looked at each other.

"We're not overthinking things, right?" I asked, nervous at how suspicious I was feeling after witnessing one video.

"I can't tell," he answered, "it wasn't much, but that video was certainly strange. I can't imagine why the academy chose to do that as an introduction rather than some sort of ceremony." I couldn't disagree with him; I felt uneasy about something, but I had no idea what. There was no reason to stay in the entrance hall, so we headed into the cafeteria to meet the Headmaster.

The moment those blue doors closed behind myself and the other fifteen students of the one hundredth class, our collective fate was sealed.


	3. The Headmaster

The room that I walked into was not at all what I was expecting. Beyond the blue doors was a large cafeteria. Four long, white tables lined the length of the room, surrounded by dozens of tightly-cushioned, black leather stools and the carpet was blue. _Where are the other students_? There had to be more students, otherwise the number of chairs couldn't be explained for a class of sixteen._ I should bring this up with the headmaster when we met him,_ I thought. On the topic of the headmaster, not much was known about Kinji Ishotaru. Nobody had ever seen him, and the tone of my invitation letter didn't really give away any clues about his personality. I wondered what he would be like, and why he kept himself so hidden from the public eye. Miyagawa and I caught up to the others, who had all seated themselves at one of the large tables. The discussion about the video we just watched was being continued.

"I think it's pretty unusual," Morihei was saying, "that there was no one to greet us all at the academy."

"I also have some concerns," agreed Hatanaka, "I don't know anything about any of the teachers. Hell, I don't even know what classes we're going to be taking."

"Now that you mention it," mused Yoneda, "there was very little information about the academy altogether. I tried to read up on it before coming her, and I found almost nothing. There's no information about the staff, the curriculum , and there was no information about past students or graduates. It's very suspicious, too suspicious to be dismissed as an academy wanting to protect its secret to success."

"So not even the nerd can help us," mocked Sanda, her subtle but biting tone provoking a hurt reaction from Yoneda.

"At least he did some research, Sanda," defended Iowa. "What did you do, make a vlog about how entitled you are?"

"It's not really important what I did, sweetie," sneered Sanda, "but whatever, I have another question."

"What now?" asked Saza irritably. Sanda pointed to the other end of our table.

"Whose stuffed bear is that?"

We all looked in the direction of Sanda's outstretched arm. Sure enough, what looked like a large toy bear was sat on top of the table. It was about the size of a small child, and it had the most unusual design. Its fur was white and wore a cute, smiley expression. A monocle was delicately positioned over its button-eye. By contrast, its left eye was red and in a shape similar to a lightning bolt. Despite the cuddly appearance, I felt almost unsettled by its unannounced arrival into the room.

"That bear... wasn't there when we came in," remarked Miyagawa, "so when did it appear?"

"Also, is it just me, or is it moving?" I asked, certain my eyes were playing a trick on me. However, as if on cue, the bear stood up and started walking towards our group.

"Holy shit, it _is_ moving!" cried Mina, "but that doesn't make any sense, how can a cute little teddy bear walk?" And as if answering a second cue, it stopped walking, opened its mouth and spoke:

"How do I move, you ask?" it said. Inexplicably, the bear seemed to possess a very strong, refined British accent. I tried to fathom what was happening, however I had never encountered a teddy bear that could seemingly walk and talk independently, so there was no fathoming to be done. "It's really quite simple, I'm a robot. But that's a conversation for another day, methinks."

"Why is it talking? Why is the teddy bear British?!" shouted Hatanaka.

"Please, young sir, refrain from shouting in the cafeteria, you could disrupt its peaceful and friendly atmosphere," requested the bear, turning to Hatanaka. It then somehow managed to look angry as it continued, "I would also appreciate it if my students did not call me a teddy bear, it's really quite offensive."

"What do you mean, your students?" I asked as an uncomfortable sensation crept into my head as I waited for its response.

"Oh, how terribly inconsiderate of me," it exclaimed. How was this animal capable of such natural human speech patterns? "My name is Monoworth, and I am the headmaster of Seiko Academy."

\---

Nobody said anything for a while. We had all been stunned by what we had just heard. Morino was the first to regain his composure, though his face betrayed that he had been disconcerted by the revelation.

"How are you the headmaster? The letters we received were written by Kinji Ishotaru, not some toy! You cannot seriously expect us to believe that a toy is the headmaster of Seiko Academy."

"And yet," countered the bear that called itself Monoworth, "that is the truth. Kinji Ishotaru isn't real, nor are any of the other staff members you might have heard about."

It felt as though a sack of bricks had been thrust onto my back as the weight of what Monoworth said came crashing down. Sure, it was still impossible to believe that a robotic bear was the headmaster, but when I considered that we had seen no one other than the students in our group, what Yoneda had said about the lack of information regarding the school, my sense of truth became hazy. I looked over at Miyagawa. Judging from his expression, I could tell he had come to a similar conclusion.

"You really expect us to believe all that?" repeated Morino. "What kind of a stupid prank is this?"

"There's no prank, young sir," replied Monoworth.

"If there are no teachers, as you claim," I challenged, "then why exactly are we here? Do you teach all of our classes, or are we just here to waste our time talking to a bear?"

"A very good question, young miss. I'm happy to report that Seiko Academy has no curriculum, no classes... we don't even give you any homework! Isn't that just marvelous?"

"So what do we do?" I pressed, becoming increasingly uneasy at how vague that answer was.

"It's really quite simple, young miss," Monoworth grinned, "the students of Seiko Academy have only one aim: to spend the rest of their days here within the walls of the academy, living in what we call Ultimate Peace."

I felt sick. Every sentence that came out of Monoworth's mouth confused and terrified me more and more. I could not wrap my thoughts around the implications behind the situation. We have to spend the rest of our lives here?

"I have many questions," began Morihei, who seemed the most relaxed out of everyone.

"I am happy to answer them, young miss. However, I cannot give away certain information right now."

"Okay, whatever. Firstly, you say we have to stay here forever, right? But won't our families notice we've not contacted them in days, weeks, months or even years? Also, we have phones, we can just ring them from those and get them to collect us."

"Well, in theory, yes," replied Monoworth, "however, we have installed a school-wide jamming signal on electronic devices. Your mobiles and laptops cannot connect to the internet here. Your connections to the outside world were destroyed the moment you walked through the doors to the academy." We were all once again stunned into silence. I could barely breathe. _I could never see Mum and Dad again?_

"Okay, but there's another problem," continued Morihei, who was now frowning, "our families will still notice we're gone. Once all the parents jointly become aware that none of us has contacted our families, they'll go to the authorities."

"True, but you've made an incorrect assumption," Monoworth's red eye begin to glow and he walked to Morihei's, coming face to face with her. "What if I told you that your parents knew of this condition and accepted nonetheless?"

"No fucking way," whispered Nishi, "no fucking way that's true! Our parents love us, why would they send us away forever? They wouldn't!"

"But they did," said Monoworth flatly.

"I refuse to believe you managed to convince everyone's family that this was a good idea," argued Yoneda.

"Think back to earlier today," chuckled Monoworth, "does anyone actually remember their parents asking them to stay in touch?" The familiar silence blanketed the room once more. We all looked at each other desperately, willing for someone to say something, but to no avail. My parents hadn't said anything of the sort to me, Monoworth was right about that. My father had jokingly wished me good luck and my mother had told me not to give in to fear, but neither had said 'stay in touch'.

"But I still have problem," mumbled Tokunaga.

"Why is that?" responded Monoworth.

"Well, if students no can leave academy," Tokunaga paused, gathering his words before speaking in his unfamiliar tongue, "why are there no students from previous classes? If they can no leave like us, we should saw them in school."

I silently thanked Tokunaga for his logic. He was right, there had to be other students here if they were locked in like us. Tokunaga's argument seemed to give the group a little hope, but Monoworth, expecting this question, simply laughed.

"Young sir does make a good point," he giggled, "but you bring me to one of the school's finer details. There is, in fact, one way you can leave. Would you like to know what it is? I bet you do." We all leaned in slightly as Monoworth stopped laughing. His red eye began to glow again, like a warning before a disaster.

"If a student wishes to graduate from Seiko Academy, they have to destroy the Ultimate Peace. To do this, they have to complete one small, teeny-tiny, infinitesimal task." He began to giggle again as he uttered one word that made my heart freeze.

"Murder."

\---

"M-m-m-murder?" squeaked Mitsumi. He immediately burst into tears at the revelation.. Everyone's reactions were similarly emotional, with the exception of Sanda. Her face was more pale, but her expression was steely and emotionless.

"The only way we can see our families again is if we kill each other?" she asked warily.

"Correct!" cheered Monoworth.

"This is fucked up," muttered Hatanaka. "I'm not going to kill anyone. You think any of us could be prepared to murder someone?"

"Actually, it is better that you're unprepared," corrected Monoworth, "accidental murders are so much more likely to happen. Being prepared to kill requires the destruction of many psychological and moral barriers. For the inexperienced, all you need is a happy little accident."

"You're a fool for thinking that any of us would end the life of another," scoffed Morihei.

"But don't you kill innocent little beetles and display their bodies in museums? What's the difference between that and murdering an innocent human?" Monoworth's retort silenced Morihei, who resorted to glaring fiercely at the bear.

"Anyway, to prove to you that this academy is serious about Ultimate Peace, I brought you all a gift – your student tablets, known as Seiko-pads!" His stomach opened and sixteen electronic tablets fell unceremoniously onto the table. Each one had the name of a student inscribed onto it. I cautiously picked up mine, and the others followed suit.

"If you press the the power button, you'll see four buttons on the screen: one for a map of the academy, one for the rule book, one for profiles on your fellow classmates and one for a chatroom where you can have conversations in groups or in pairs. To begin with, let's all read through the rules together."

I reluctantly followed Monoworth's instructions and turned on my Seiko-pad. Just as the talking bear had said, there were four buttons and I touched the one that led me to the rules. I read them slowly and carefully:

_1\. Students will be woken up at 8am sharp, and bedtime will be announced at midnight._

_2\. Any student who falls asleep in a room that isn't a dormitory will receive punishment._

_3\. Violence against the school headmaster is strictly prohibited. Any student who attempts to do him harm will receive punishment._

_4\. If a student wishes to leave the academy, they must graduate by murdering a classmate._

_5\. It is forbidden for one student to murder more than two of their classmates._

_6\. After a murder, all students will be given a few hours to collect evidence to identify the killer. After this time, a Class Trial will begin._

_7\. If the killer is correctly identified, they will receive punishment and the remaining students will resume living in the academy._

_8\. If the killer is incorrectly identified, then all the other students will receive punishment and the killer will graduate._

_9\. Rules can be added, changed or removed at any point during your life in the academy._

I could barely comprehend what I was reading. _So this whole scenario was not an elaborate prank?_ We were truly involved in a game of life and death. I had only just met these students, and I was expected to contemplate killing them before I had even had opportunity to befriend them. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to tear the head off that stupid bear. But I felt completely powerless. I knew that deep down there was nothing I could do. My thoughts were interrupted by Saza's voice.

"Quite a few of these rules mention a punishment. What does that mean, exactly?"

"I am so glad you asked that question! I get to introduce you to my coworker!"

"Oh fuck, there's another one?" groaned Ouji.

"Don't be disappointed! You humans say all the time 'the more, the merrier.' You can come out now!" Monoworth looked up, and I followed his gaze. A panel in the ceiling opened up and another stuffed bear fell through and landed next to Monoworth on the table. It was similar to Monoworth, except all its fur was black, and it wore a hooded cloak instead of Monoworth's monocle and tuxedo. Also, both of its eyes were red lightning bolts. It looked sinister and its motionlessness as it landed unsettled me. But as soon as it had landed, it sprang into action.

"Oh boy, finally. I thought I'd never get to make my grand entrance!" the bear scanned us with its glowing eyes and I dared not look away.

"I apologize, but they struggled to grip the concept of the killing game this year. However, I saved you the honor of describing the punishments," Monoworth grinned eerily at the second bear.

"Hmm, quite an ugly bunch this year, if you ask me. Oh well, I'm a bear, so breeding with them isn't possible anyway," the cloaked bear laughed. His voice could only be described as unhinged, and it sent chills throughout my body.

"Focus, please, we still have a duty to perform," scolded Monoworth. The second bear sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, listen up, boys and girls and anything between! I am called Monomenon – a combination of 'mono' and 'phenomenon' because I'm a... bear!" Monomenon roared with laughter, though his poor attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears as we were all too mortified to speak.

"Anyways, jokes aside," Monomenon continued, "I administer punishment to rule-breakers. In order to maintain Ultimate Peace, rule-breaking is dealt with in the most severe way. For those of you who are too dumb to understand my inference – goodness, I do like big words – I am of course referring to execution!"

"WHAT?!" roared Hatanaka. I stopped breathing. _Did he just say 'execution'?_

"Well I think that covers everything. Thanks for listening folks. Now, Monoworth and I have to get back to work. After all, Motive Day is soon."

"Wait, you can't tell us all that and then just leave," I shouted.

"Why not? Figure it out yourselves, we've given you all the facts you need right now," replied a confused Monomenon.

"What's this Motive Day? What is any of this? Why are we doing this? Who are you?" I screamed at them out of fear and confusion.

"Stop screaming, for fuck's sake. We're not going to tell you everything," groaned Monomenon, "that would be boring. There are sixteen of you, and you're all Ultimate Students. Use those grey sponges in your skulls. You humans never change, begging for everything on a silver platter."

"Then answer this," interrupted Morino sternly, "what is my Ultimate Talent? It's not listed on my Seiko-pad."

"Monoworth, I'm bored," said Monomenon, ignoring Morino's question, "let's go already."

"As you wish. Students, I'll be in touch."

"Wait" yelled Morino, but it was no use. The gap in the ceiling opened again and two claws descended, grabbed the headmaster and his crony and disappeared behind the panel. Their laughter echoed throughout the room, even after they were gone. It felt like hours before anyone spoke again, but it was probably only a few minutes.

"W-w-w-why is this h-happening?" sobbed Mitsumi, his words now lost in hiccups, he'd been crying so much.

"Hey, don't cry, dude," assured Nishi, going over to hug Mitsumi who quickly moved away.

"P-please don't t-touch me! I d-don't like b-being t-touched."

"Sorry, hugs are my normal way of calming Sazzy down, or to let her know everything is going to be okay."

"Don't kid yourself, Nishi," mumbled Sanda.

"Huh?"

"Sanda's right," said Miyagawa, his face grave, "nothing about this is okay. We all came to this school thinking that we were on a path to eternal success. Instead, we've been locked inside with two over-sized robot teddy bears who can talk. Plus, the only way to leave is to apparently commit murder."

"Furthermore," added Tokunaga, "it seems that if one of use decides to murder, the rest of us have to discover their crime and then send them to death. But if fail, then technically one murder can lead to fifteen students dying at once."

"I don't want to kill anyone," muttered Mina, "but staying here forever isn't what I want at all."

"Well, those are our only options," said Miyagawa.

"Uehara used her disagreement spell on Miyagawa," cried Uehara and she mimed waving a wand at Miyagawa, who only became more irritated.

"Do you actually have something useful to contribute," he asked, "or are you being annoying deliberately?"

"No, Uehara wouldn't waste magic if she wasn't serious! Uehara thinks there is a third option. In every quest, there are always secrets. Perhaps there is a secret escape route."

"That's not a bad suggestion," said Edward, "though I have my doubts. If whoever is behind this is serious, and let's assume they are, then I am sure they would have thought of that. There's also something else that's been bothering me."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Well, we are the one hundredth class, correct? That means that there were presumably ninety-nine groups of Ultimate Students before us. Given that we have seen no other students here, we can assume that the person masterminding this has succeeded in killing off these ninety-nine groups, or at least to the point where only one student survived and graduated. Or, in other words, if my calculations are correct almost fifteen hundred students have been murdered or executed in this school. Monoworth and Monomenon, or whoever is controlling them, must have incredible power if they have been able to pull this off for so long, and right under society's nose."

Edward was right, and facing this truth was a horrifying prospect. We had fallen into the trap of a genius. An insane one, but a genius is dangerous in any measure.

"The hardest part for me to stomach is that our parents were aware of this and let it happen," said Ouji slowly, "why would they agree to letting their kids become a murderer?"

"That is deeply troublesome," agreed Edward, "I find it hard to believe that they all just happened to agree to it. There must have been something sinister at work, like blackmail or ransom."

"Well, why we all try to process this," I started, turning on my Seiko-pad, "maybe we should all go to our dorms. I suddenly feel very drained."

"Y-yeah," whispered Mitsumi, whose eyes were now red and puffy, "I need to rest and calm down. U-um Nishi? C-could you c-come with m-me? I n-need someone to t-talk to."

"Sure!" Nishi smiled, "let's get that face cleaned up. Are you going to be okay without me, Sazzy?" Saza waved her hand dismissively, walked over to Iowa and hooked their arms together.

"It's cool, big bro. Iowa and I are going to talk about pizza. I need something to cheer me up after that shit-show." Nishi laughed.

"Great. Alright, Mitsumi, let's go." Nishi walked back through the blue doors, Mitsumi's comparatively tiny frame trotting behind him nervously. Saza quickly followed behind, practically marching Iowa out of the room. Sensing the end of the discussion for now, we all left one by one until it was just myself, Morino and Miyagawa. I looked at the map of the school. It seemed my room was located next to Miyagawa's and I groaned internally. I thought I was due some good luck after what had just happened, so how did I end up next to him? _ I hate my talent so much, _I thought_._

"So we're neighbors, Ori," said Miyagawa, who was fortunately too drained to be smug.

"Yeah," I said, barely paying him attention. I turned to Morino.

"Leave me alone," he said before I had even opened my mouth.

"Alright, but if you want to talk, tell us on the Seiko-pad. I know you don't care for making friends with us, but we are all part of this. Just... don't be a stranger." He shrugged. I looked at Miyagawa and he nodded. We walked out of the cafeteria.

"What was that about?" Miyagawa asked. I shrugged.

"It's not every day you find yourself in an unimaginable situation. We need to stick together, and he needed to know that." Miyagawa didn't respond, and we continued in silence until we reached the doors to our dormitories.

"Well, see you later, Ori." I didn't respond and Miyagawa disappeared into his room. I stared at my door. This was the third time today that I had stood at a door in this academy: the iron gate, then the entrance and now my room. Every time I opened a door in Seiko Academy, I just opened a door to a new type of despair. My thoughts were interrupted as my Seiko-pad beeped. I withdrew it from my pocket; I had a message from Morino. Surprised, I opened the chat room to read it. The message was only one word, but it carried a lot of meaning behind it. Despite everything, I smiled.

_Thanks._


	4. A Fruitless Search

I woke up in my room after a short nap. I blinked slowly a few times as I accustomed to the light. I had gone inside my room and made a beeline for the bed, not taking the time to look around. Now that I'd rested, I observed where I was. The bed was certainly comfortable; it was queen-sized, with a soft mattress and a red quilt with gold lining. It was a little ostentatious for my taste, but no doubt it suited the wants of students like Miyagawa who were probably used to luxury furnishings. The room was quite spacious, but it felt that way because I hadn't brought much with me; I was very surprised to see that the luggage I had packed had been deposited at the far wall. I remembered how excited I had been when my parents had sent those bags to the academy a few days ago. _Did they really agree to this killing game? Was this life what they really wanted for me, and why did they want it?_ I just couldn't understand it, so I instead tried to move my focus back to the room's interior. The walls were cream, as was the ceiling. To my left, a monitor and a security camera hung on the wall. The camera felt very invasive, and to test if it was working, I got off my bed and moved to the wall opposite, and the camera lens followed me. I shivered. _ So Monoworth and Monomenon were watching our every move, _ I thought. I supposed that made sense; if someone did murder someone, at least they would know who the killer was from the beginning. I shook my head. There was no point thinking like that, it only welcomed more doubt into my mind, and that wasn't going to be helpful in this situation.

My Seiko-pad beeped and I retrieved it from the wooden bedside table – the chatroom had seen some activity while I was napping. Nishi had called us all into the cafeteria to discuss exploring the academy, and nearly everyone had agreed to take part. The meeting time was two o'clock; I looked at the clock that hung next to the monitor – I had twenty minutes. I decided to use the time to have a look around the bathroom. Whoever was behind this killing game was obviously very wealthy if they were able to provide all sixteen students with the same luxuries. The bathroom was predominantly a milky porcelain color, with splatters of blue tiles around the walls and floor. One wall was almost completely covered in a mirror, and upon seeing my reflection I noticed my very disheveled appearance. I spent the next fifteen or so minutes fixing my unkempt hair, attempting to press the creases out of my clothes and washing my face. Somewhat satisfied with my my appearance, I took a deep breath and made my way to the cafeteria.

\---

When I arrived at the cafeteria, most of the others had already gathered and were discussing various things among themselves.

"Hi, Ori!" cheered Mina, running up to me and hugging me tightly.

"Urk! Hello, Mina," I wheezed as the wind was knocked out of me. Mina was deceptively strong for someone so small.

"Were you napping? I had a nap, my bed was so comfy! I didn't want to get out but Nishi made us," she hummed.

"Yes, I had a short nap," I replied, letting her go as she went back to her seat. I looked around at the group, noticing a few faces were missing.

"Morino, Mitsumi and Nishi haven't arrived yet," stated Sanda, noticing my glances, "typical boys."

"But didn't Nishi suggest we all meet here?"

"Yeah, but I imagine he's still looking after Mitsumi," piped up Saza, "big bro can very protective and caring. He probably even napped with Mitsumi in his room. Nothing happened, Ouji, before you ask."

"I wasn't going to suggest anything," retorted Ouji defensively, failing to hide the disappointment on her face.

"Poor Mitsumi," pondered Saza, "this situation has affected him especially badly."

"That kind of weakness makes him an easy target." We all turned to Sanda who was wearing her usual emotionless expression, as if her comment wasn't shocking or divisive at all.

"What the fuck did you just say?" snarled Hatanaka.

"I'm merely stating what should be obvious. I personally have no intention to do the deed, but if any of us did, they'd go for someone vulnerable like Mitsumi, rather than someone like you or Miyagawa." Hatanaka could only glower, as he knew Sanda was right. We all knew she was. But accepting the truth was a lot harder than thinking it.

"Don't say things like that!" squeaked Mina, covering her ears, "you're trying to give us ideas and plant seeds of doubt in our minds."

"Nonsense," scoffed Sanda, "if any of us are planning to kill, they have likely already come to that very conclusion. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Nishi was pretending to care for Mitsumi so he could-"

"So I could do what, Sanda?" came a furious voice from behind us. Nishi was stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, his fists clenched and his face red. A very meek-looking Mitsumi was cowering behind him; although his eyes were no longer puffy from crying, he still looked exhausted and I couldn't help but feel a pang in my heart as I looked at him. He looked even more scared watching Nishi react so angrily to Sanda's comments about him.

"You know exactly how I was going to finish that sentence, don't you? So, why waste our time?"

"You fucking bitch! You think I would really kill Mitsumi, or anyone for that matter? How dare you!"

"Get angry, I don't care," muttered Sanda, breaking eye contact with Nishi to look at her nails.

"You will care if I ever decide I want to graduate," threatened Nishi. At those words, Saza stood and opened her mouth, probably to reprimand her brother for such an empty threat, but Mitsumi interjected.

"G-guys, please don't f-f-fight!" he cried, "Sanda's right, I am w-weak. But that doesn't m-mean that s-someone is g-going to kill m-me. These arguments are what those b-bears w-want, so can w-we s-stop?" Nishi sighed heavily and relaxed his body.

"Sorry, buddy. Let's just sit down." Nishi strode over to Saza and sat down next to her, Mitsumi had to almost jog to keep up with him. Nishi became despondent, refusing to look at anyone. I noticed that both Saza and Mitsumi would occasionally glance at him with a concerned expression. I decided to direct the conversation onto why we were meeting up, though there was one more person who was still absent.

"Should we wait for Morino?"

"I don't think he'll come," said Morihei, "I don't think he cares about us."

"I'll send him a message in any case," I replied, taking out my Seiko-pad. Morino's response to my message was immediate and curt.

_No, but keep me updated. Thanks._

I sighed and relayed his message to the others.

"You see? He doesn't really care," stressed Morihei.

"In his defense, those bears were particularly cruel by not telling him his Ultimate Talent," pointed out Miyagawa.

"Let's just discuss our next steps as a group of fifteen, and then I'll report our findings to Morino," I said in a tone that told the others that we'd reached the end of the discussion about Morino.

"Look out, Miyagawa, Ori might have her eye on someone else," giggled Ouji."

"Shut up, Ouji" Miyagawa and I said in unison. I felt my face heat up.

"So, exploring the school," said Edward, who looked thoroughly bored, "what's the plan?"

"Uehara used her special ability, 'Time to Shine'," shouted Uehara excitedly, "the exploration was my idea, but nobody listens to Uehara, so Uehara asked Nishi to tell the others. If we look at the map, we've only been in two rooms, the cafeteria and the entrance hall, but there are other rooms. Uehara suggests we split up and look for clues about the academy. Also, Uehara thinks it's strange that there is only one floor in the school, since from the outside the building seems much taller."

"What are you talking about? There can't be just one floor," said Edward, folding his arms and frowning.

"Uehara thought the same, but when she looked for other floors on the Seiko-pad, there were none that I could select, despite the fact that there appears to be an elevator. We should ask Monoworth and Monomenon when we see them next."

"Well, it's a long shot," Edward replied, "perhaps our search will be fruitless. Nevertheless, there's no harm in trying and it will certainly pass the time. Let's split into groups then."

"Saza and I would like to investigate the cafeteria," started Iowa, "we know the most collectively about food, and she insisted on seeing if they had pizzas." Saza beamed and practically leaped over the table to hug her friend, who seemed extremely flustered by Saza's unpredictable behavior.

"Okay, I shall investigate Classroom 1-B and see if I can find anything. Sanda, you're coming with me, since you seem to be so intent on doing the bare minimum," said Edward, looking at his classmate indifferently.

"Whatever, Your Highness," murmured Sanda, "so that leaves Classroom 1-A, the entrance hall, the laundry room and the bathhouse."

"I want to look at the laundry room, I want to see if the room smells nice," chimed Mina.

"Uehara shall accompany you on your quest to the laundry room!"

"Ouji and I shall go to the bathhouse," stated Hatanaka, winking at his investigation partner, who looked pleased at being picked by the Ultimate Construction Worker.

"Remember, you two, you're exploring, not getting up to any... funny business," Saza joked.

"We won't," laughed Hatanaka.

"That's too bad," flirted Ouji, batting her eyelids, "I was going to show him what it means to be the Ultimate Naturalist." Hatanaka's mouth slacked and opened so quickly I worried it would fall off its hinges. Ouji giggled at his reaction. I cleared my throat.

"I suppose that leaves Miyagawa and I to investigate Classroom 1-A." Miyagawa could not look less displeased if he tried, and the feeling was mutual.

"Hey, why is everyone worried about me doing naughty stuff when those two are exploring together?" cried Ouji in mock affrontation.

"Miyagawa, we're leaving," I said flatly, not wanting to listen to any more of Ouji's jokes. I turned on my heel and left, Miyagawa following me shortly behind.

\---

Miyagawa and I silently made our way to the entrance of Classroom 1-A, we couldn't even look at each other. I don't know why Ouji felt comfortable making such comments about people who barely knew each other. I very clearly had no interest in Miyagawa, nor did he in me, and I was content with that. His attitude irked me ceaselessly, and honestly I would prefer to die than live with him for the rest of my life. _No, that was stupid._ As much as I disliked the Ultimate Appraiser, he was no reason to think things like that, no boy was. But he did make an already unbearable situation somehow even more so. Such feelings were, however, pointless when we had a classroom to investigate.

"Any idea what we should be looking for?" I asked, finally breaking the silence.

"None. But we won't find anything if we stand here." I nodded and turned the handle to the door. The metal felt cold on my palm, as if warning me not to go in, but nonetheless I pushed on the door and we stepped inside.

Classroom 1-A looked like any normal classroom. At the front of the room was a large, blank blackboard, our vision of which was obfuscated slightly by a long wooden desk, presumably for a teacher, which was stretched out in one corner of the room. The rest of the room was occupied by desks and chairs. I wondered how many students like us had sat at those desks, and how their numbers dwindled as they caved into the pressure of the killing game. Ninety-nine classes of dead students had been in this room, and now they were all gone, and we were next. I shuddered. Suddenly, this classroom no longer felt like a classroom at all, but more like a graveyard.

"Shall we get started?" asked Miyagawa, breaking the eerie silence. I nodded and we each went to a different side of the room and began our inspections. I didn't know what to look for, so I started with the desks. They were the sort of desk you would expect to find in a classroom; a basic metal frame topped by a hollow wooden box that had a small drawer for stationery, notepads or stupid love letters. As I went from desk to desk, I looked inside each drawer in the hope a previous student had left something behind, but deep down I knew this was pointless – Monoworth had likely already had the same idea and made sure to remove anything that could help us. As I reached the last desk I almost didn't think it worthwhile to check the drawer since all the others had been empty. _ But I have searched all the others, _ I thought, _so I should at least check the last one._ I opened the drawer and held my breath.

Empty.

Cursing silently, I slammed the drawer shut. However, I heard a sound as I did so, which made me stop. I opened the drawer again and this time, a small piece of paper was lying there, a paper clip and some sort of adhesive stuck to one end. I must have lodged it free when I forcefully closed the desk. I took the paper out and examined it. One side was blank, but on the other side there was a cryptic note:

_EPO HONSIE RE HTSETAM SSAL CRUOY LL. IK TON ODEM AGE HTYA. LP TON ODSU GNOM AEDIHRIAPS. EDFOS ED AL BEHT._

I called Miyagawa over to my side.

"Did you find something, Ori?"

"Yeah, there was some sort of note stuck to the top of the drawer in this desk. I have no idea what this says though, it looks like it's a code. I don't have any idea how to solve it though, and there's no key." Miyagawa took the note from my hands and analysed it for a few minutes, eyes darting frantically over the letters as he tried to make some sense of the letters. After a few minutes, he frowned and sighed, giving up.

"I have no idea," he conceded, "but it's worth showing the others. Maybe it's a foreign language, Yoneda might be able to solve it. All I can say is that this sheet of paper is no older than a decade."

"How would you know tha-oh," I blushed, remembering I was talking to the Ultimate Appraiser. Of course he would be able to gauge the paper's life.

"It's age doesn't reveal much, but it does tell us that there were students here before us, and we're looking at roughly a ten-year period for this note to have been written. If we can figure out what it says, this might be really helpful. Good work, Ori." Miyagawa's face reddened slightly as he complimented my find. It caught me off guard and I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Oh, thanks," I coughed nervously. I asked him if he had found anything.

"Nothing," he said, his brows furrowing together, "the teacher's desk was empty, and there was nothing suspicious about the blackboard. I'll let the others know that we've finished. Let's go back to the cafeteria."

\---

We didn't have to wait long before the others joined myself and Miyagawa in the cafeteria. Judging by the looks on most of their faces, their searches had turned up very little or nothing at all, and I also noticed that Morino had decided to join us. He gave me a quick look before sitting away from the rest of the group and looking down at the floor. I wondered if he was actually interested in our search, or if he was just bored of staying inside his room. Or maybe he had discovered something himself and came to share it with us. I wasn't able to read his face, so I left my questions unanswered and turned my attention to Edward, who had stood up and cleared his throat to start the discussion.

"So, now that we've all reconvened," he began, "let's begin the discussion about what we found. Let's start with Iowa and Saza, who investigated the cafeteria."

"Well, we went into the kitchen area, which is through that door at the back. We didn't find any pizza," said Saza dejectedly, "so I guess it's not that great."

"Despite this," Iowa added, wrapping her arm around Saza, "there were certainly enough ingredients to make pizza. In fact, the kitchen is very well stocked, there is enough food in there to feed the sixteen of us for a very long time. Monoworth also dropped by to inform us that the food would automatically be restocked if we ever run out of something. I guess they're serious about us staying here forever. There is a silver lining in that we won't starve to death. Oh, Uehara, I also asked Monoworth about the other floors of the school, but he wouldn't tell me anything. He said that we would find out soon enough and then left."

"Uehara unlocked a new emotion – gratitude!" cried the Ultimate RPG Player, doing her signature pose as she did so. We all rolled our eyes.

"Okay, so that rounds up the search on the cafeteria," concluded Edward, "who wants to go next?"

"Uehara wishes to speak! Mina and Uehara went to the laundry room. There are sixteen washing machines in there, one for each student. Like the cafeteria, the laundry room is also well-equipped for a long time. But there were no pots in there for Uehara to smash."

"Why would you need those in a laundry room?" asked Yoneda, thoroughly confused.

"Uehara is suspicious of every pot in the world, even in a dungeon like Seiko Academy. There could be treasure in them."

"We're getting sidetracked," interjected Edward, "Mina, do you have anything to add?"

"Not really," Mina replied shyly, "Uehara just took control of the search and left me to smell the room. It smelled of a laundry room, so nothing too suspicious there."

"You two are weird," said Morihei.

"They may be weird, but they did make an important discovery," noted Tokunaga. We all turned to him, confused.

"What do you mean? All they found were washing machines," scoffed Sanda.

"Well, I have many thoughts since we arrive," mumbled Tokunaga, "and the most important one is about the person who is controlling this killing game. They must be extraordinarily wealthy and influential, because so many students have been study here. Furthermore, they must have been able to control the news of the enrollment of students, as well as stop the families of previous students from telling the world the truth. Finally, they have been able to put the academy's equipment to the mainframe of city electricity, and they have done all of this underneath the nose of the government, society and even the whole world. This is very concerning to me."

"I hadn't thought of that, truthfully," Edward said thoughtfully, nodding as Tokunaga spoke. "Clearly, the person behind this is a more fearsome opponent than I had originally estimated. They might even rival myself and my father in terms of power."

"As powerful as the Ultimate Monarch?" squeaked Mina.

"Regardless of how powerful they are, they're still a coward to me," snarled Hatanaka, punching his fists together, "if they're so powerful, why hide behind a couple of stuffed animals?"

"Well, if you were as powerful as they seem to be, would you want everyone to know you were? You'd be an even easier target than we are right now," I countered.

"Of course, I take any chance I can to flex these babies," Hatanaka almost shouted, kissing each of his bulging biceps. I brought a hand to my forehead, while Ouji squealed in delight.

"Well, for now, let's put our suppositions about the mastermind to one side," hastened Edward, "can you two tell us what you found in the bathhouse?"

"Well, I was rather distracted by a certain someone," purred Ouji, eyeing Hatanaka, who was still kissing his arms.

"So you found nothing?"

"I didn't say that. My distraction disappeared shortly after we arrived, as there are three changing rooms – one for boys, one for girls and one for... bears, I think. The changing rooms connect to the bathhouse from separate entrances, meaning that we can't spy on each other when we get changed. The bathhouse itself is nice enough, I'm going to spend a lot of time in there. There is a swimming pool, and a sauna off to the side. As for actual clues regarding the academy, I found nothing, and I think the only thing the big boy discovered was his reflection."

"Okay, no worries, I guess we can't expect a clue in every room," admitted Edward, "I regret to inform you all that Classroom 1-B was also devoid of anything that might be considered a clue. Sanda refused to help, so I don't know if I missed anything."

"I didn't agree to help you in the first place. So get off your high horse, your crown has no meaning here," Sanda sneered.

"I guess that leaves you and Miyagawa, Ori," said Edward, ignoring Sanda completely.

"Well we, or rather Ori, found something in Classroom 1-A," said Miyagawa with a half-smile on his face. The room went quiet as all eyes landed on me. I nervously shifted in my seat and held up the note.

"I found this hidden in one of the desks in the classroom. It's some sort of note, and Miyagawa confirmed that it can't be more than a decade old."

"What does the note say?" asked Yoneda.

"That's the problem, we can't read it. It seems to be some sort of code or foreign language, and we wondered if you would be able to solve it, Yoneda." I passed the note to the Ultimate Polyglot, who quickly adjusted his glasses and scanned over the note multiple times.

"Well, it's certainly not a language I know. It seems much more likely to be a code. I spent a lot of time doing crosswords and word puzzles when I was learning English, so I could definitely try to decipher it. Do you mind if I hold onto it for now?"

"Does anyone object to Yoneda trying to solve this?" asked Edward authoritatively. No one objected. Edward nodded to Yoneda, who beamed.

"I'll do my very best, everyone! Thank you for trusting me so much!"

"Don't milk it, Yoneda, you didn't actually help with the search," joked Saza, conspicuously winking. Yoneda, however, didn't get the joke and his head immediately bowed.

"I'm sorry, how selfish of me."

"Geez, it was just a joke! I think it's awesome you can solve it, just lighten up a little."

"Okay, I'll try, Saza," Yoneda replied quietly, a small confident smile on his lips.

"So does that conclude the discussion? Does anyone have anything else to say?" Edward addressed the group. Nobody seemed to have anything to say, but then somebody spoke that I didn't expect.

"I have a question, actually," said Morino. Edward seemed momentarily surprised that he had spoken, but indicated for Morino to ask his question. "Were there any windows in any of the rooms?"

"Windows? That's an odd question," commented Nishikiri.

"Well I think it's important. There were windows on the outside of the building when I first came here, but no one mentioned them just now. So, were there any?" Nobody said anything. Morino made a noise as if expecting that very answer.

"Why would there be windows on the outside that don't look on the inside?" Mina asked.

"I don't know," admitted Morino, "but I guess it adds to what we already realized after the laundry room and cafeteria discoveries – whoever is behind this is serious about us staying here forever. Very serious, so much so that they have blocked all outside contact from coming in, as well as our ability to contact the outside world."

"That's totally right."

We all turned towards the end of the table we were sitting at, to see Monomenon stood there patiently, as if he had been waiting for the right moment to interrupt the discussion.

"Oh no, the teddy bear of doom is back!" squeaked Mina.

"I'm not a teddy bear," growled Monomenon, "how many times must I tell you? In any case, that's not why I came here. I must admit, I'm simultaneously annoyed that I missed that note and impressed you found it, Miss Asaji. That must have been the work of the Ultimate Cryptologist, a former student here at the academy."

"A former student?" breathed Mina.

"Yes, they're dead now. I executed him after he murdered all of his surviving classmates. It was because of him that we introduced the rule that forbids you from murdering more than two classmates, since he murdered eight at once. Goodness, now I'm feeling nostalgic, that was such a messy and gruesome end to that killing game, one of my favorites actually."

"You're fucking insane," I hissed. I couldn't believe my ears. The person who wrote that code I found had murdered eight of his classmates. Every time I learned something new about the history of this killing game, I felt the hope in my soul disappear more and more. Was there really no chance of escaping this nightmare?

"I'm insane? I didn't murder eight of my friends, I just try and facilitate harmony among the Ultimate Students of my academy. Anyway, I did not come here to discuss morals, today is a special day! It's Motive Day!"

"What's that? Haven't we suffered enough already?" whined Iowa.

"Nope. You've only been here for one day, but as part of my own induction to your new life here, I am going to motivate your want for graduation."

"You mean you're going to provide us with a motive for murder," contested Miyagawa.

"That's one way of wording it, yes. Although my job is to facilitate Ultimate Peace alongside Monoworth, I also have to say that watching sixteen students confused students endlessly looking for clues does become very boring very quickly. So, every now and then we encourage the destruction of Ultimate Peace to liven things up."

"You morals don't make any sense," pointed out Morino, "why bother with Ultimate Peace at all? You want us to kill each other, so why mask it behind that farce?"

"Ultimate Peace? What's that?" asked Monomenon.

"You literally just talked to us about it seconds ago."

"No, sorry, you're mistaken. I think I would remember talking about a farce like Ultimate Peace. I'm just an executioner, and what I want is to execute someone. So let's talk about Motive Day!"

"Wait a second," shouted Morino, "don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about, you bastard."

"But I have no clue what you're talking about. Ultimate Peace doesn't exist, it has never existed at this academy. You're here as part of my killing game – kill each other to graduate and don't get caught! Isn't that right, Monoworth?" The headmaster fell from the ceiling.

"Correct, Monomenon. Students, it's good to see you again. Sadly, I must apologize; we lied about Ultimate Peace and I just deleted it from Monomenon's memory bank. It was just a little placeholder while we prepared your first Motive Day!"

"So, we can't live the rest of our lives here?" I asked.

"Well, you could try," responded Monoworth, "but we will have other students to enroll after you. So naturally, you will all need to either die, or one of you graduates, before then."

"I am not going to kill anyone," Nishi growled.

"Then offer yourself as a victim, I don't care," snapped Monomenon, "you will have to die either way."

"The conversation has been derailed once more" stated Monoworth, "let's get the Motive Day presentation underway."


	5. The First Motive

"The purpose of Motive Day, as I've already mentioned, is to encourage students to graduate as soon as possible," as Monoworth spoke, I felt the color drain from my face. "In order to guarantee our success, we give the students some sort of motive. We are not outright commanding you to murder each other – that part we leave to you. So, without further ado, allow me to present you with the first motive! Please could you all look at your Seiko-pads. A fifth option should have become available to you."

I took my tablet from my pocket and turned it on. As Monoworth had said, there was indeed a fifth option on the screen: 'Motive'. I tapped it reluctantly, but nothing happened.

"Ah, not so fast, Miss Asaji," chuckled Monoworth, "the button isn't activated. First, Monomenon, will explain what the motive is."

"Thank you, my friend," said Monomenon, comically curtsying slightly before stepping forward to address us.

"The first motive is quite simple; I'm going to give you all seventy-two hours to kill one of your classmates. But there is a catch! You have to murder a specific person if you want to graduate seamlessly. If you don't kill your intended target, then we have to do a class trial. And if nobody does any killing, then I'll execute everyone."

"What happens if we do kill our target, then?" quizzed Edward.

"Basically, there will be no class trial; the murderer gets to escape at no cost, while the remaining students will be executed."

"When will you bears learn that we're not going to kill each other?" cried Saza angrily.

"Okay, so you choose to die here, then?" asked Monomenon.

"Huh?"

"Haven't you figured it out? You're all going to die," Monomenon's red eyes lit up and his tone became chilling, "it doesn't matter how much you defy me, I always win. I'm giving one student the opportunity to leave unscathed. Do you really think everyone here is just going to let that opportunity pass them by? If so, your faith in these students is admirably stupid. Exchanging fifteen lives for your freedom seems like a reasonable bargain to me, so how do you know that no one here will be capable of murder?"

"Because... because...," but Saza could not find an answer to the executioner's question. He was right, we didn't know what each other was capable of. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that one of us would kill to escape, especially now that it was freely being offered to the group.

"Well, that concludes the explanation of Motive Day," Monoworth interjected, "while you students look at your target, which has now been activated for you, I shall wait with Monomenon to see how events unfold."

"Bye-bye, you guys" cackled Monomenon, "make sure you kill the right person!" The petrifying glow of his ruby eyes was the last thing I saw before both bears disappeared through the gap in the ceiling. Every time we had an encounter with the headmaster, we were left in an uncomfortable silence for an unbearably long time. But eventually, I couldn't wait any longer and cleared my throat.

"So, what now?" I asked stupidly, not knowing whether anyone would even be able to answer that question.

"Should we look at the motive?" whispered Mina nervously. Hatanaka slammed his fist on the desk, making Mina squeak.

"Absolutely not! If we all refuse to look then we won't know who we are being forced to kill."

"That might not work, "said Tokunaga sadly, "if we don't know our target, we can still do a killing. Someone could do a murder, we do a class trial and then they get away. Then the others die. It is something we cannot avoid – somebody has to die."

"How do you know that?" squealed Iowa.

"Allow me to explain," started Morino, "there are three possibilities over the next three days. Firstly, one of us kills their intended target. If this happens, the murderer leaves the school with no consequence, and the rest of us are executed by Monomenon. The second scenario is where someone kills a student who isn't their target. In this case, we have to do a class trial, and the normal school rules apply. Finally, the third scenario, where no one commits murder. If this comes to pass, we are all unconditionally executed. It is as Tokunaga says – someone will die in the next three days. It could be just one of us, or it could be all of us."

"I d-don't want t-to d-die!" wailed Mitsumi.

"No one is going to kill anyone!" growled Nishi.

"But then we all die, anyway, Nishi," whimpered Mina.

"So what? I'd rather die than murder someone."

"Again, that's fine for you, but what about the rest of us?" asked Morihei.

"What are you saying?"

"Someone could already be plotting to murder their target. Don't deny it, because we all know it's not impossible."

"Morihei is right," added Ouji, "we can all say that we won't kill, but one of us could be lying. However, I think it's best if we accept our fate."

"What do you mean, Ouji?" questioned Hatanaka.

"Think about it, big guy. We can't escape and we can't fight back. Death is our only option, whether we murder each other or not. The sooner we all accept this, the most we can make out our last three days alive. Let's make them fun, let's be friends, let's not worry about someone trying to kill us."

"I agree with Ouji," I heard myself saying, though my head was blank, "I'd rather spend what appear to be my last days with people I consider friends and not enemies." Others nodded in agreement, but Hatanaka stood up.

"So you're giving up? I'm not going to listen to this anymore, I thought we'd be better than this. If you're complacent about letting your death just happen, then that's your prerogative. But I'm not going to give up, I'll find us a way out!" With those words, he stormed out of the cafeteria. Ouji followed him, giving the group an apologetic look. Slowly, the rest of us filed out of the room and bid the others goodnight. I did the same and went to my room, throwing myself face-first onto my bed and burying myself in my pillow. I stayed like that for a while, willing this nightmare to disappear, even though I hadn't yet succumbed to sleep. I looked at my Seiko-pad, knowing that I shouldn't look at the motive screen, but the curiosity was almost painful. I turned my head away, but it was futile. With a huff I sat up and picked up my device. There was no harm in looking, I told myself, I wasn't a murderer. With trembling fingers, I turned on the device and my finger hovered over the word 'motive'. _ You're not a murderer, Ori. You're not a murderer, just press the button. _ As I repeated these words over and over in my head, I touched the screen, which then flashed a couple of times before displaying a short message that made my heart pound in my chest:

_Orito Asaji, your target for the first motive is Miyagawa Hitomaro._

_71:32:46 remaining._

\---

Breakfast the next morning was very quiet, despite everyone being there. Iowa and Saza had gotten up early to make everyone blueberry pancakes for breakfast; Iowa politely asked everyone via the Seiko-pads to come and eat. If that didn't work, Saza barged down the missing students' doors and frogmarched them to the cafeteria. While I appreciated the gesture, I was certain that the two girls were just making sure no one had committed murder during the night. They almost silently served us breakfast, and any attempts at conversation quickly died down. I had tried to avoid Miyagawa all morning after what I had discovered, and I wondered if anyone else had also given into the same temptation as me. I cursed myself for my weak will, wolfed down my pancakes and excused myself from the table. I had almost made it to my room when I felt a hand on my shoulder; I turned and my stomach dropped as I looked into the eyes of the Ultimate Appraiser.

"Hey," said Miyagawa awkwardly.

"Oh, hey," I replied, trying to stop myself from panicking.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about something, if you have time to spare?" He knows, I thought.

"Sure," I said. _Wait, what was I thinking? What if I was his target and he was just going to off me here and there?_

"Great," he smiled, "could you come to my room with me then?" _His room? Is he going to murder me? I can't run, that'll be too obvious._ I ended up following Miyagawa to the room neighboring mine, his room. He opened the door and gestured for me to go inside, still smiling, which I reciprocated weakly. _Is this where I'm going to die?_ I quickly scanned his room for a weapon to defend myself, but like me, Miyagawa had yet to unpack. I heard the door close and turned to face my host.

"Listen," he began, "I want to apologize to you." _Is he apologizing for what he's about to do me, for killing me?_ I began to sweat all over and felt my breath hitch in my throat. _This can't be the end._

"I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"Huh?"

"You know, I've been quite dismissive and rude of you, Ori. But Ouji was right – if we are going to die here, we should at least not do it as enemies. So yeah, I'm sorry."

"So you're not going to kill me?" I blurted, immediately bringing my hand to my mouth. Miyagawa blinked.

"Kill you? What? Why would I do that?"

"Well you brought me here and you were apologizing, so I thought that maybe..."

"It would seem we have a long way to go then before we're ready to trust each other," he pondered, his signature smirk returning to his lips, "so I'm guessing you thought you were my target." I said nothing and blushed, but my silence must have answered his question and he started laughing. "Oh, this is priceless. You really thought I was going to murder you," Miyagawa pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

"In hindsight, it doesn't make sense, I'll admit. You'd be stupid to commit a murder in your own bedroom."

"You'd be right in saying that. I also don't happen to think you're capable of murder either, so even if I am your target, I know you wouldn't act on it," I froze at his words, wondering if he knew that he was my target. Was this his attempt at reassurance? Was he willing to trust me to not murder him, when I wasn't totally convinced I couldn't do it myself?

"I don't really know what to think anymore," I sighed.

"I understand, Ori. But let's just focus on getting through it as peacefully and joyfully as we can. Friends?" he offered me his hand and I shook it. His palm felt smooth and warm in mine. It felt... nice. Ashamed at the thought, I hastily let go and thanked my earlier embarrassment for hiding my new blush. I had made my first official friend at the academy, and it was the unlikely figure of Miyagawa, the Ultimate Appraiser.

"Well, now that you're here, I suggest we start again. So, it's nice to meet you, Ori, my name is Miyagawa."

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too, Miyagawa. I actually wanted to ask you about your talent. How did you become the Ultimate Appraiser, and what exactly does that entail?" Miyagawa moved over to his bed and sat down, patting the spot next to him where I then sat myself.

"Well," he began, "it's not the most glamorous story, but I suppose there's no harm in telling it to someone who'd going to be dead in three days." I frowned at the joke, but he waved his hand. Then, he started talking.


	6. The Ultimate Appraiser

_About eighteen years ago, Miyaguchi and Izumi Hitomaro welcomed their one and only child into the world. Miyaguchi was a friendly baker who was well-liked by everyone, and Izumi taught the sciences at the local school. One day, Izumi took her students on a field trip to the river to study geology, and Miyaguchi had traveled to deliver a basket of bread to the shrine maidens, as he did every week. It did not take long for their eyes to find each other's and the two fell in love, as they say, at first sight. Miyaguchi was a tall, muscular, handsome young man, and considered by some the most eligible bachelor in the village. He had long red hair that he kept in a tight bun so it didn't get in his eyes as he worked in his bakery. Short auburn stubble neatly decorated his jaw and chin, and he had a wide smile that betrayed dimples each time he laughed. His nose was longer than average, but hardly noticeable when many were taken by his eyes. Miyaguchi had the most beautiful silver eyes that Izumi had ever seen, and it was no surprise that she almost forgot to deliver her geology class that day. Many of the female students giggled as they understood all too well what was happening, while the boys took their teacher's distraction as an excuse to see if they could get away with throwing the smallest of their group in the river. Izumi was equally attractive - she had ebony, shoulder-length hair that cascaded down her neck, though she made a point to cover a circular birthmark on her forehead, which thoroughly embarrassed her. She had big green eyes, a smooth, porcelain complexion, a cute little nose and cute little lips. Miyaguchi thought she was the most captivating creature he had ever seen._

_It is said that that encounter was the only time Miyaguchi had failed to deliver the shrine maidens' bread. On that day, the two never actually exchanged words, but their eyes said everything. Miyaguchi resolved to find out who this beautiful woman was. Fortunately, in a small village, rumors travel faster than light itself. It did not take long for people to notice that the baker had started making diversions to the school on his weekly visits to the shrine by the river, carrying a small cake with a heart-shaped decoration in his basket of bread and a blush on his face._

_The silent romance between the two quickly became the main gossip of the village, and when word reached Izumi's father, he marched to the bakery, beat Miyaguchi furiously and trampled his basket of bread, taking extra care to destroy the small cake intended for his daughter. 'No child of mine will settle for some common baker!" he had been heard shouting as he furiously marched back to his home. There was another rumor that he went and beat his daughter that night as well, and refused to feed her. Izumi's father was, in some ways, a tortured soul; he had lost his wife at childbirth, and many believed that he blamed Izumi for his wife's death. Losing his beloved had turned him into a twisted and bitter man; he lost his temper at anything and anyone, from the weather being imperfect to an infant crying too loudly. He would not hesitate to raise his fist and threaten harm on anyone who displeased him. People often remarked how much like her mother Izumi looked, and these comments threw her father into a wild rage that often ended with drunken fistfights with the villagers. It was no stretch to say that Izumi's father was hated by everyone except Izumi, who had come to believe her father's words. She believed she was a murderer, that she had murdered her mother, and that she must spend the rest of her life atoning for what her father had convinced her she had done. Of course, when she heard what had happened to Miyaguchi, she cried for days on end. She didn't eat, sleep or go to work for three whole days, and when she returned to work, the students noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and crazed, and a bluish-yellow bruise had appeared on the right side of her neck._

_A week after the incident at the bakery, Miyaguchi was asleep in his room above his shop when he was awoken by the sound of a soft tapping at his window. It was Izumi. Miyaguchi let her into his home and the two were able to exchange words for the first time, to touch and caress each other, to feel each other's warmth. That night, they confessed their love to each other and agreed, on a whim, to elope. They didn't know where they were headed, but they didn't care so as long as they had each other. Most would say that such a hasty decision was foolhardy and doomed to fail, but the couple had so much faith in their love that they did not care. They packed one small bag each and agreed to meet at the shrine by the river at midnight to make their escape._

_The next morning, the village slowly came to life with the morning sun, but the peace was soon disturbed by a roar. It was Izumi's father, who was practically foaming at the mouth in unbridled wrath. 'Where is my daughter?' he would shout, pushing past villagers and knocking over carts of vegetables. Nobody dared challenge him, but nobody knew where Izumi had gone, which left only one option. Miyaguchi's bakery. Izumi's father ransacked the small shop, but found it empty. However, as he was leaving, a note hanging on the door caught his eye, which he angrily tore of and read. No one knows what the note said, but it sent Izumi's father into such a frenzy that he, before anyone could stop him, set the bakery on fire and sobbed, screaming his daughter's name in a mix of betrayal, anger and sorrow. The whole village cared more about the burning bakery and did their best to stop the blaze, but by the time it was extinguished there was nothing more than a charred ruin. In the rush, no one saw Izumi's father walk away from the village and to the shrine, where he tearfully asked the maidens why his daughter had chosen some baker over her own father. The chief maiden smiled sadly, took his hands in hers, and told him that the choice Izumi made had been the only choice that would make her happy. 'Your daughter loves you, but you do not love her anymore. You punished her for being alive, and now she has sought her own path, a path on which there is no space for your footsteps. In a way, this was the choice you gave her, not one she made.'_

_Each of the maiden's words felt like a knife in his heart, and all he could do in response was wail his daughter's name into the night, praying for hours by the shrine that his daughter would return. After six months, the man who had once been fueled by anger was replaced with a husk – a man who frequented the bottle as often as he did the shrine's counsel. An outcast to the other villagers, he was now truly alone. On the six-month anniversary of Izumi's disappearance, one of the maidens claims she saw the figure of a man walk past the shrine at night. She had called to him, but the figure showed no signs of hearing her. Before she could act, the man had walked into the river, and under the moon-less sky, the maiden lost sight of him. Two days later, the body of Izumi's father was found on a riverbank a few hundred meters away from the village, having become entangled in the plants. He had drowned, and while the body discovery was a shock, nobody in the village mourned him, and the maidens delivered a swift funeral and his body was buried in an unmarked grave. Meanwhile, in a faraway city, Miyaguchi and Izumi were rejoicing the news that Izumi had fallen pregnant, and decided, on their six-month anniversary, that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. So Miyaguchi baked a ring of bread, decorated it with a heart and presented it to his beloved. The two had long forgotten about the village where they once lived, and believed they were prepared for anything because their love was so strong. They believed that no challenge could defeat them. One month later they were happily married (it was a small ceremony with a few friends as attendees), and started their new life together. Miyaguchi managed to get a job working at an auction house; the owners had been impressed with his great eye for detail and said his good looks would attract the wives of the men who came to purchase antiques and collectors' items. They taught him the rich history of their city and the skills involved in appraising items' age and value. Izumi resumed teaching sciences in a school but soon had to leave to focus on preparing for the arrival of the baby. Izumi was so excited to be a mother, it was all she talked about whenever she spoke with friends, even striking up conversations with strangers about her pregnancy._

_Then, the baby arrived. It was a warm summer afternoon, and news traveled fast that Izumi had given birth to a healthy baby boy. The birth was relatively painless, and the baby was described by the midwife as beautiful, so beautiful she had been brought to tears. He had specks of bright red hair already growing from the top of his head, and the roundest brown eyes. He didn't even cry once he had been brought into the world, and remained so as he was presented to his exhausted mother and father. Izumi wept as she cradled her newborn, and immediately named him Miyagawa. She passed him to her husband, who kissed her forehead three times, thanking her for delivering such a wonderful child to the world. As Miyaguchi turned his attention to Miyagawa and covered his son in gentle kisses, the midwife noticed something was wrong. Izumi wasn't looking at her husband, but rather straight ahead, and her eyes were glazed over with an expression that made the midwife very uneasy. Acting on a terrifying hunch, she asked Miyaguchi to leave the room. Confused, the new father asked why he should leave when he wants to celebrate his new family with his wife. The midwife insisted he leave and, becoming suspicious, Miyaguchi turned to his wife, who had not moved during the whole exchange. He called her name, but there was no response. He called her again, this time fear and panic tinting the tone of his voice, but his wife lay still. He laid his son down in the crib next to his wife's bed and shook his wife gently, whose head drooped and hands fell to her sides. 'Izumi? Izumi, dear, please wake up. Now's not the time for sleep, my love.' Soon, it slowly began to register in Miyaguchi's mind what had happened, and all the midwife could do was fight her own tears as she watched a man fall into the despair at losing his beloved wife. He clutched her hands and begged her to wake up, but she was gone. Miyagawa started to cry._

\---

_There was a small funeral procession for Izumi Hitomaro two weeks after the birth of Miyagawa. A few close friends, colleagues and the midwife had gathered to pay their respects, but Miyaguchi had requested that no one speak to him. He was silent throughout the whole ceremony, and he did not shed a single tear as he watched his wife's coffin disappear behind the curtain (she had wished to be cremated and her ashes spread in the city's river). When he was passed his wife's ashes, Miyaguchi walked to the river on the outskirts of the city, delicately pushing his son along in a cart. Miyagawa had not cried since the day of his mother's death and uttered no sounds as his father wept at the side of the river, as if knowing that this was his father's moment to mourn. Eventually, Miyaguchi took his wife's ashes and slowly sprinkled them into the river's dark waters, watching them move back and forth with the slow, unending current. In that moment, he remembered his bakery and his old village from which he and Izumi had fled almost two years ago. He wondered if this river connected to the one where he had first seen Izumi, where he had first fallen in love. He wondered if her ashes would eventually reach that village, her father. Miyaguchi did not know that, like Izumi herself, Izumi's father was also gone from the world. Soon, the orange sun had almost fully disappeared behind the horizon far beyond the river, and Miyaguchi took his son home, and still the baby did not cry._

\---

_In many ways, Miyaguchi paralleled his deceased father-in-law as he raised his son. He swiftly turned to drink following the bereavement and his appearance became more and more ragged as time passed; he stopped shaving his beard, his hair grew longer and fell unceremoniously around his face and shoulders. Even his eyes, which had once brimmed with joy, had dulled, but they didn't lose their attentiveness. He noticed the pitied looks on people's faces as he lumbered home from a night of drinking at the early hours of morning, he noticed the disdain with which his co-workers looked at him in the auction house, but he didn't care. His skills as an appraiser were unrivaled, even when he was inebriated, so he managed to keep his job. As long as Miyaguchi kept appraising the way he was expected to, the owners cared little for his personal life, and Miyaguchi wanted to keep it that way._

_Miyagawa, on the other hand, grew up in conditions close to what people might call squalor. He was unhealthily thin and pale for most of his childhood, and he rarely spoke to anyone except the nanny who would look after him while his father worked. However, the nanny just made sure he had the bare minimum to eat, for she was far more interested in Miyaguchi now that he had become available. She never bathed the boy, and slapped him mercilessly if he asked her for anything, telling him to learn his place. No one came into contact with the boy until he was of age to attend school, and his teachers were shocked he was even alive when he showed up. He had almost waist-length red hair that was matted and unwashed, his face, arms and legs were caked in dirt and bruises and his body was barely dressed in ill-fitting rags that looked like he'd been wearing for years. His teachers would come to say, when recollecting the day they first saw Miyagawa Hitomaru, that the stench was unbearable. Thank goodness we recognized his name from that poor lady who died so many years ago, one of them would say. That poor lady must be turning in her grave, another would add._

_The boy was turned away from the school, but a full investigation into Miyaguchi's neglect of his son was consequently launched. Soon, Miyagawa went from a boy who almost no one knew existed to the most famous child in the city, achieving pseudo-celebrity status as the 'Forgotten Child.' However, no one seemed more surprised by the events than Miyaguchi himself. When asked about the awful conditions in which he was raising his son, Miyaguchi seemed surprised to hear that a boy even existed within his home, and took a few moments to remember they were referring to his son. 'Ah yes, that boy. That murderer.' Miyaguchi had muttered. This hesitation alone was reason enough for the officers to arrest the father for neglecting his child and they put Miyagawa in the city's care system. The boy remained silent during the entire process – he nodded to show he understood, or shrugged to suggest he didn't understand. He was notably literate for someone who hadn't received any form of education. The social worker heading the Hitomaru case was able to glean little information from Miyagawa, but he did learn that there was a small library in the house that belonged to his mother. The books were far too advanced for the boy to understand, but he had somehow taught himself to read and write, which was their main correspondence as the social worker helped Miyagawa. That social worker remembers the last day he saw Miyagawa Hitomaro - it was the day he was adopted by the elderly midwife who had delivered him. The boy, who had fleshed out from proper eating and exercise, been given a long-overdue bath, proper clothes and basic lessons in reading and arithmetic, turned to him and said: 'I almost forgot that today is my sixth birthday.'_

\---

_For the next five years, Miyagawa lived with the lady who had delivered him to his mother. She was a friendly, doting lady who cared deeply about the boy and resented his father for treating him so horribly. 'I understand the heartbreak that losing your loved one brings,' she would say when she thought Miyagawa was out of earshot, 'but there was no reason to hurt your baby like this.' She fed him three meals a day, bathed him, read him stories and tried to fill the gap left by the boy's two parents. He paid her back in devotion and love; Miyagawa was smitten with his newfound mother figure and it was because of her that he learned to smile and enjoy all of life's beauty. He loved school and learning, she taught him how to ride a bicycle, how to swim in the river, how to cook healthy food, how to perform all the chores around the house. 'You're going to make someone very happy in the future, Gawa.' He loved it when she called him Gawa, and although he was too young to understand what she meant, he was happy to know that someone would enjoy living with him because he knew how to do all these things._

_Sadly, the midwife knew that she wouldn't be able to look after the boy forever. She was very elderly and ill and she could sense her time would come before her Gawa would be able to look after himself. She also knew that Miyaguchi would likely come looking for his son once he was released from prison, and her weak state meant she would be unable to stop him from taking the boy. So on the night of Miyagawa's eleventh birthday, she wrote a letter to an old friend, explaining her situation and making a request to the letter's recipient to complete a set of actions before her imminent death. The reply came soon after, agreeing to the terms. They had also attached a photo of Izumi to the letter, saying it was a keepsake belonging to Miyaguchi before his arrest. The midwife took the photo and gave it to Miyagawa as a late birthday present in a simple white frame. Miyagawa stared silently at the photo in his hands, wordlessly tracing the outline of his mother's face with his fingers. He did not recognize the woman, but he felt a warmth that made him think he had in fact known the woman all his life. He thanked the midwife with tears threatening to fall from his chestnut eyes and ran to his room. He carefully placed the photo on the table next to his bed and continued to stare at the beautiful woman who was smiling up at him. Falling asleep that night had come easier than Miyagawa had ever remembered._

\---

_The midwife's hunch about Miyaguchi's return had been right. One winter afternoon, a few weeks after Miyagawa's eleventh birthday, he pounded heavily on the door to the midwife's home. She opened the door slightly for him and vehemently told him that he did not deserve to have anything to do with the boy. Miyaguchi fumed that the boy was his and the thieving bitch, as he had so graciously called her, had had no right to take him away. The midwife slammed the door and bolted it tight, but not before Miyaguchi shouted a threat to get his son, no matter the cost. Miyagawa, who had sat on the staircase with his hands over his ears went to embrace the midwife and cry. 'I won't let him take you, Gawa,' she cooed, stroking his hair and kissing the top of his head gently. She then explained to the boy that he needed to pack a suitcase - 'we have to go somewhere your father cannot find you.'_

_And so with a suitcase filled with his favorite clothes, books and toys, Miyagawa and the midwife left the house in the early hours of the morning. They could barely keep their eyes open nor stop themselves from yawning, but the fear that Miyaguchi's appearance had awoken in them spurred them on. The boy had no idea where they were going - the streets were empty and the only lights that were on were the street lamps. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached a part of town that Miyagawa was unfamiliar with. The midwife guided him to the only building with a light on - the auction house. This confused Miyagawa; why had she brought him to the one place he knew his father had worked? Surely this was a mistake? But she reached up to the door and tapped her frail, wrinkled knuckles against the wood, six times Miyagawa counted. The door hastily opened and a tall, middle-aged man looked down at them both irritably, presumably because he was shocked to find people on his doorstep at such a ridiculous hour. Despite this, Miyagawa noted that the man was almost dressed for work; he had a full suit on and the only hint that the man was tired were the dark circles that had started to form under his eyes. The man's irritated expression soon melted away when he saw who his guests were._

_"It's time, Junichi," said the midwife. "Miyaguchi is out, we need to protect the boy."_

_"Understood, Hana. Please, come in, Mister Hitomaro. I've been looking forward to meeting you." That was the first time he had heard the midwife's real name, Miyagawa realized. He had always just known her as Gran. The man smiled warmly and gestured for them both to come in, which they did. Miyagawa clung to his Gran and refused to meet the man called Junichi's eyes. They came to the main room of the building. Miyagawa wondered how many items his father had sold here. Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? But still he did not understand why he was going to hide here of all places. Would his father really not look for him here? His thoughts were interrupted by Junichi's deep voice, which was chatting with Gran in hushed tones._

_"We have to enact the plan tonight, Junichi," she said, her voice filled with worry._

_"Are you sure? Shouldn't we wait for more information?"_

_"There's no time. Miyaguchi is after the boy and we cannot let that happen. I've worked too hard raising that boy and I'm not letting things turn out the way that bastard wants."_

_"Very well," said Junichi solemnly, "are you ready Hana?"_

_"I've been ready since I was given the right to care for my Gawa."_

_"You're a rare one, Hana," the man chuckled, "few are as dedicated to a cause as you."_

_"I'm sure you'll understand when you have your own children."_

_"Maybe I will," with those words, Junichi turned to Miyagawa. "Hey, little dude, could you come over here? Your gran and I need to have a very important conversation with you."_

_Miyagawa tentatively walked over to the pair and sat next his gran, who ruffled his hair lightly._

_"Did you happen to hear what we were talking about, little dude?" Miyagawa didn't like the fact that this man had already given him such a belittling nickname, but he just frowned and nodded. "Hana, I think you should explain this next part." Miyagawa looked at his gran with a confused expression, and she sighed sadly, big beads of tears welling in her drooping, blue eyes._

_"I'm so sorry, Gawa, but this is goodbye."_

\---

_An eighteen-year old Miyagawa put his pen down and exhaled deeply. He hated paperwork - it was the only part of his job at the auction house that he hated. Ever since that fateful night seven years ago, he had been living at the auction house with Junichi, whom he still struggled to trust completely, despite the gratitude he felt for having been provided with a safe house from his wicked father. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his back, arms and fingers and yawned widely. He looked at the large, grandfather clock in the corner of the room, whose hands were pointing at half past eight in the evening. Miyagawa was surprised to learn it was already so late, and resolved to grab a cup of coffee and a sandwich._

_Having prepared his food and coffee, Miyagawa lay supine in the auction house's lounge, on an expensive couch that Junichi had ordered from the country of Leonis, where the king had recently recovered from an illness. Miyagawa remembered hearing that the king's son, who was roughly his own age, had stepped in to take care of the nation in his father's absence. Miyagawa had to admit that he was impressed by the young prince - he was barely able to manage an auction house, let alone a whole kingdom. He then found his thoughts drifting back to how he had ended up in this situation, how he had bid farewell to Gran so suddenly and the awful events that transpired afterward._

_Gran had explained to him that he had to live with Junichi from that day on until he was old and rich enough to start a new life far away. It had taken several hours of bawling and hugs from Gran before he calmed down. When Miyagawa had asked Gran why she couldn't stay with him and Junichi in the auction house, she had told him that his father would tear up every stone and brick in the city if she disappeared alongside his son. Her staying in plain sight would be a technique to keep his father away from the auction house, a place where he knew he would be recognized instantly. Gran then explained that this was only temporary and that they would be reunited sooner than he knew. Present-day Miyagawa now wished he had had the skills he acquired by working in the auction house to know that she had been lying. The next day, Hana left the auction house and returned to her home, where she was not surprised to find Miyaguchi waiting for her, a venomous look on his face. Miyagawa couldn't remember the details, only that his father had strangled Gran when she refused to tell him where she had hidden his son. Her body had been found discarded in the street, and his father had promptly been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment - this was what Miyagawa had heard from the gossipers that came to the auction house. He had been inconsolable for weeks after hearing the news about Gran; he barely ate or slept and hid himself in the spare room that Junichi had set aside for him. Eventually, Junichi grew tired of the boy's miserable state and, about a month after the attack, barged into the room to find Miyagawa lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling._

_"Miyagawa, we need to talk. You cannot hide in this room forever, nor can you hide from the truth." There was only a grunt in response. _Of course she had to die when the brat was starting puberty_, Junichi thought to himself with a sigh. Junichi missed Hana too, but there was no point in dwelling on her death; her time left on the planet was limited and he had long prepared emotionally for losing her. But Junichi did not have any children. He had been surrounded by adults for as long as he could remember, and now at forty-five years old, he suddenly had to look after a preteen, and in secret. Hana had been Miyagawa's legal guardian, and now she was dead and the boy had been hidden in his auction house - now all he had to do was wait five years for him to be declared legally dead, which was much easier said than done. He knew that the police wouldn't think to look at the auction house - it was so far away from the scene of the crime and there was no link to the victim and the auction house._

_"You're still here?" Junichi snapped out of his reverie and glanced at Miyagawa, who had turned to face him._

_"Look, I'm not good with words, and I'm even worse with children. I'll say what I need to say, you'll listen to me and then we compromise," he held up his hand as Miyagawa opened his mouth to retort. "I understand that Hana's death was hard on you. It wasn't easy for me to accept either, but I haven't been sulking in my bedroom, and neither should you. I've been lenient by letting you mourn for so long, but my patience has it limits. You're under my roof, and you're a smart lad, so from now on I expect you to start pulling your own weight here. You'll at least be able to take your mind off of things."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I'm offering to educate you. I'll train you to work here at the auction house and I'll even pay you to do it. I will not have you leeching off my auction house for the next few years, I don't care how upset you are."_

_"And if I refuse?" asked the boy dully._

_"Well, we can always go to the local prison," said Junichi seriously, "I believe there's someone who wishes to speak with you. Then, you'll likely be taken away from me since you have no legal guardian, and you'll end up in an orphanage." Miywagawa paled at the thought._

_"Fine. Tell me what I have to do."_

_"Well, first things first we need to change that hair of yours. I'll buy a wig tomorrow and you can wear that."_

_"Why do we need to do that?"_

_"There's a search party looking for you. In this country, you'll be legally declared dead five years after you've gone missing. It's been one month. If you're going to work for me, people who come here cannot recognize you, and your hair stands out too much. So you need to hide it. Don't frown at me, I'm doing this for your own safety."_

_Sure enough, the next day Junichi bought a wig - it was a simple haircut of chestnut-brown locks. It made Miyagawa look unremarkable, which is exactly what was needed. Then, Junichi started training Miyagawa as an appraiser - the boy learned about world history, how to date and price things just by looking at it in his peripheral vision. Junichi was shocked at how astute the boy was. _The kid might become a better appraiser than his father,_ thought the mentor. At just fourteen, Miyagawa was even better than Junichi at appraisals, making far more accurate deductions than Junichi could possibly hope to do. He had even started subconsciously evaluating the people who brought items to him; over dinner, he would comment to Junichi how one gentleman who had brought him a Venetian statuette had three cuts from shaving on his neck, or how he knew one woman had recently gotten a divorce, a fact he had discerned from the fact that her left ring finger had faint red marks around it. The boy's attention to detail astonished Junichi, and he wondered if it had any practical or profitable usage in his auction house. One day, Junichi decided to test his theory._

_"I want you to work during the auction today," he had said to Miyagawa at breakfast._

_"Why?"_

_"I want you to analyze the people that walk in here. Size them up, find out what you can about them without asking them any questions. Then report back to me."_

_"Again, why?"_

_"I have a theory," began Junichi through a mouthful of cereal, "that we can use your skills to match certain people to certain items. Then, as the proceedings take place, I will go into the audience and bid higher than them - with any luck, we can get them to spend over their budgets."_

_"Is this not scamming of some kind?"_

_"Not at all," replied Junichi, "I don't control these people. They control their own greed, I'm merely testing that control. Besides, we could use some extra money, and you could use a few new wigs." Miyagawa chuckled at that part - he had stopped wearing the brown wig and settled for just dying his hair dark colors. Whenever his natural, red roots started showing he would wear a baseball cap until Junichi bought more dye._

_Junichi's hunch turned out to be right. Miyagawa would walk around the room before the auction room, not talking to anyone but merely exchanging glances and nods. He would spend ten minutes analyzing and would commit to memory all the learned information before returning to Junichi. Miyagawa still remembers Junichi's impressed face as he noted down all this information, and they later sold not only all the items, but also at almost double their appraisal worth. Junichi and Miyagawa started to trust each other more and soon their bizarre relationship turned into what Junichi still described as a "professional working friendship and nothing more." They quickly began to lead a life of luxuries and soon became a city hot-spot for social gatherings. While Junichi was overjoyed at the prospering business, he always had an eye on Miyagawa. He was still considered a missing person at fourteen, and they still had two years before he was officially declared dead. Then there was the matter of what would happen in the future; like Hana, Junichi knew he couldn't keep the boy trapped with him forever, but Miyagawa was almost universally accepted to be dead. If a dead person suddenly started walking around the city, what would happen? He had no documents confirming his identity, so suspicion would be immediately be drawn to him. Luckily for Junichi, a letter would come four years later that would answer his question._

\---

_The sound of the letterbox being opened and closed startled Miyagawa as he reminisced. The postman came in the mornings usually, so who was delivering a letter at this time? Getting up from the couch, Miyagawa strolled to the front door of the auction house and saw a single, small, envelope with an unfamiliar wax seal. Miyagawa frowned and picked up the letter, then took it to Junichi in his office. He knocked and opened the door when Junichi called him in._

_"A letter just arrived for you. I don't recognize the seal on it though."_

_"At this hour?" Junichi mirrored Miyagawa's frown and accepted the letter. He turned it over and frowned even further in puzzlement._

_"What's the matter?"_

_"This letter is addressed to you." Miyagawa froze. Addressed to him?_

_"How is that possible? No one knows I'm alive, how can someone know I'm here?"_

_"Relax, I think I know who sent this letter. If I'm right, you'll want to read it, this could be your big break." Miyagawa took the letter back from Junichi, broke the seal and opened the envelope. He could feel his breathing get a little heavier as more and more questions came to mind, but he started to read the letter. "Read it aloud," commanded Junichi, the small, knowing smile on his lips going unnoticed by his apprentice._

_"Dear Mr Miyagawa Hitomaru," read Miyagawa, "we are delighted to inform you that you are invited to attend Seiko Academy. Word of your skills in your auction house has reached us, hence we would like to bestow you with the title of Ultimate Appraiser. We've already contacted your illegal guardian (yes, we know about Junichi) and he has agreed for you to study with us. Do not worry, your identity is still a secret to everyone except myself and Junichi, and will continue to be dealt with the strictest of confidence. We have already requested a small bag of your belongings from your guardian in time for you to start in exactly three weeks time. There is no need to reply to this letter, I will know your answer if you turn up with your other classmates." The letter was signed by a Kinji Ishotaru, the headmaster of Seiko Academy._

_"So you're finally going to school?" chuckled an amused Junichi._

_"You organised this?"_

_"Of course. You can't stay here forever. I'm no longer the handsome, young man I once was - well, perhaps I'm still handsome. But that aside, I was contacted by a friend at the academy and they had asked if I had any children who excelled in anything. I told them about you and your story - don't worry, you can trust them - and they were very eager to enroll you."_

_"But what about you?"_

_"What about me?" countered Junichi, "I worked at this auction house for twenty years before you showed up at my doorstep and I was fine. Sure, I won't have your talents around anymore but there will always be greedy people in the world who want to pay stupid amounts of money for old things. Hana really softened you up - stop being so selfless for a change and do something for yourself. Kids who make it through Seiko Academy are set for life, even the legally deceased ones. Go and do something with your life, Miyagawa, instead of wasting it at this dump."_

_"But-"_

_"Enough. I've already sent a suitcase with your things to them, so I'm not giving you a choice. Go make Hana proud. Make me proud. Make your poor mother, bless her resting soul, proud."_

_"Junichi..."_

_"Oh, stop being sentimental. You needn't thank me for anything, I was just doing what any illegal guardian would do. Plus, wherever she is, Hana would never forgive me for letting you go back to that asshole father of yours." With that, Junichi turned back to his desk and resumed his work. Miyagawa knew that was the end of the conversation, but he stood in the doorway a few extra moments to process everything. He was going to Seiko Academy, and Junichi had somehow had the contacts to organize it. It seemed Miyagawa had underestimated how well-connected his mentor was, and silently thanked him as he closed the door behind him. He returned to his room where, for the first time since Gran had died, Miyagawa looked at the framed photo of his mother. Though the photo had faded a little, every detail of his mother's beautiful smile had remained, and Miyagawa couldn't help but smile back. Maybe things would finally turn out well for him. Before going to sleep that night, Miyagawa made a decision. He took some kitchen scissors and a comb and neatly cut away his long, dyed locks of brown hair, leaving only his short, red roots. Then, he took one clump of it and dyed it ebony, just like his mother's hair had been. It wasn't a particularly powerful gesture, but Miyagawa reasoned that it was the best homage he could pay to a woman he never met, as well as to Gran and Junichi who had protected him all these years. Looking at himself in a mirror, he smiled in satisfaction at his work, ran his fingers through his hair and glanced one final time at his mother._

_"I hope this is what you wanted. I just wish you could have been here to see it all."_

_Three weeks later, Miyagawa bid a brief farewell to Junichi and arrived at Seiko Academy. He stood in awe of the great building and simply stared at it, taking in the details of every brick, every pane of every window. He then noticed a girl with bright red hair just like his walking towards the iron gates. She hadn't noticed him standing a few feet away, and she also stopped and looked up at the school. Miyagawa decided to wait for her to go in before doing so himself as he didn't want to talk to anyone so soon. The girl didn't move for about ten minutes before pushing past the iron gate, and Miyagawa quickly followed suit, to find the girl had now stopped outside the front entrance to the school. _I guess I'll have to speak to her, _decided Miyagawa irritably. He really did not want to speak to her - he had had very little communication with people his own age at the auction house, he was worried about coming across the wrong way and had decided that making no friends and just getting through the studies was his best course of action. Besides, from what he had heard, some of his Ultimate Students were weird. He approached the girl and cleared his throat._

_"Now don't tell me you're the Ultimate Student-with-a-fear-of-doors..."_


	7. The Pool Party

Miyagawa finished talking and rubbed his eyes with his right hand, leaning back and lying on his bed as I remained in silence.

"So that's the tragic story of the Ultimate Appraiser," said Miyagawa sarcastically, "I don't have any tissues on hand, so don't cry."

"I'm not crying," I retaliated, "but I'm sorry to hear what you've gone through. You shouldn't have been made to suffer like that." Miyagawa sighed and waved his hand, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"It's fine. What happened, happened and I wouldn't be here if it hadn't. If anything, saying goodbye to Gran was the hardest part of that story to retell; my bastard of a father lost any possibility of regaining a relationship with me on the night he murdered her. I can't say for certain, but I'm sure I would have eventually been ready to make amends."

"Even after he treated you so horribly?"

"He didn't know any better. Remember, he had lost the love of his life the day I was born. Not being able to blame anyone made him pin it on the only person in the room who couldn't defend themselves - me. But to murder Gran like that, and leave her body in the street..."

"Miyagawa..." He sat up again, and turned to me with a small smile.

"Hey, no doom and gloom. We've only got forty-eight hours left now, so let's keep things positive. Though, retelling my story has made me think of a few problems with what Monoworth told us."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, Monoworth told us that our parents gave the all clear for us to participate in the killing game, right? Obviously that's impossible for me, and possibly for others too."

"You had Junichi," I suggested, "perhaps he was the one who allowed it." Miyagawa's expression darkened, and I could tell he had not wanted to think of that possibility.

"That's true," he finally conceded, "but then why care for me for so long? Why speak to his connections here and send me here to die, when he could have just killed me when I was much younger? I am technically dead already, so there isn't anyone who would miss me. Gah! This doesn't make any sense!" He shouted the last part, making me flinch. He fell backwards again and covered his face with his hands and went silent for a few minutes.

"Did you bring her with you?" Miyagawa peeked at me through his fingers.

"Huh?"

"The photo of your mother. You mentioned it a couple of times."

"Oh, that. Yeah, it's on the bedside table. Here." He reached over and passed the white photo frame to me. I thanked him and took it. When I looked at the photo I nearly gasped.

"She's stunning," I said almost breathlessly.

"Yeah, she really is. Now you see where my good looks come from, huh?" he chuckled.

"Yeah..." I replied unthinkingly, my attention pressed to the photo.

"Wait, you think I'm good-looking?" I snapped up, looking at him wide-eyed.

"W-wait, I wasn't listening properly!" I spluttered, heat quickly spreading across my face. "That's not to say you're ugly, but I wasn't suggesting that I-"

"Relax, I was only kidding, Ori." Miyagawa burst into laughter, his smirk sneaking back to his lips. I slapped his shoulder playfully and told him to shut up. "I think that should be enough story-telling for the day. You should head to your room, it's nearly midday." I looked at the clock in his room and saw several hours had passed.

"Wow, that went fast. I suppose I could maybe unpack my own photos and have lunch with the girls to pass the time."

"That sounds like fun, I guess I'm just going to ponder this situation a bit more. Thanks for listening to my ramblings, Ori," he smiled at me genuinely, and I returned it.

"It was no trouble, Miyagawa, thanks for trusting me with it," I walked over to his door and rested my palm on the handle, "see you later."

"Yeah, see you."

\---

I organised to help cook dinner with Iowa, Saza, Nishi and Mitsumi. Iowa was such a different person in the kitchen compared to when she was around the others. She was much more confident and would even order around someone as imposing as Nishi with little concern as we all bustled around the kitchen, collecting ingredients for her and Saza. Saza loved watching her brother's confusion at the differences between certain vegetables, or Iowa as she hurled incorrect ingredients Nishi had brought her back at him. Mitsumi, for what seemed like the first time since coming to the academy, was also cheerful as he helped the girls, and would giggle quietly at the mishaps of the Ultimate Tattoo Artist. Fortunately, I was delegated the task of getting the plates and the cutlery ready, so I had plenty of time to watch the wacky scene unfold. When I finished setting the table, I turned to see Nishi narrowly avoid being hit in the face by flying broccoli. As Saza and Iowa served the food, which turned out to be shrimp paella, I sent messages on the Seiko-pad to the others, asking them to come to the cafeteria. Within minutes everyone had gathered with hungry looks on their faces, even Morino and Sanda. We all ate amicably and chitchat trickled its way between mouthfuls of food. I noticed that Mitsumi had pulled down the mask covering his face for eating, but would hold his hand over his face to hide it still. He caught me staring and blushed furiously before turning to Nishi.

After we finished eating, Iowa and I took the dishes back into the kitchen area. Apparently, Monoworth would clean the dishes after meals, claiming that such trivial tasks were unfitting for Ultimate Students. I did not complain, as I hated doing the dishes back home, so we returned to the group to find them discussing the bears.

"Ah, Ori, perfect timing," said Saza brightly, "we wanted to hear your thoughts on who you think is behind all this. That is, who is controlling those two bears."

"Why do you want to know what I think?" I asked, bemused.

"It's good to hear what everyone has to say, even Uehara," mumbled Morihei, earning a glare from the Ultimate RPG Player.

"Uehara has a skill called Reasonable Logic," she protested, "I just choose not to use it because it requires a lot of stamina."

"Well, I don't really know what I can add," I interjected, preventing Uehara from derailing the conversation. "I don't really know of anyone who could have enough power to get away with this, other than the government. Plus, we can't say for certain that the person who controls the bears and the mastermind behind this killing game are the same person."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" questioned Yoneda.

"Those bears are really advanced pieces of technology, so they must require a lot of maintenance," I reasoned. "On top of that, there are security cameras in practically every room, high stock count of food and presumably there are other floors to this school. I sincerely doubt that one person could be able to do all that, especially at every hour of every day."

"So you're saying that there's a group behind this? Like a mafia, or a terrorist group?" pondered Edward.

"I don't know if a mafia could pull off an operation of this magnitude and for as long as this killing game has been going on. I'm thinking that the masterminds have power that rivals you, Edward." The king of Leonis looked at me and nodded gravely, as if he had believed this all along.

"Wait, so Edward's dad is behind this?" squeaked Mina, who seemed to have been napping for most of the conversation.

"Not necessarily," I hastened to affirm, but Edward took over.

"It's a possibility that my father is behind this. I do not know why he would agree to operate such a cruel and unforgiving game, nor why he would choose his own son to participate, but I can't rule him out."

"I don't think your father is responsible," stated Miyagawa, "after all, Monoworth made a point of mentioning that our... parents had agreed to this." No one else seemed to notice Miyagawa's pause as he mentioned parents. Now knowing he had been looked after by Junichi, I was conscientious of how unusual it must be for him to try and talk normally about having a mother and father, when in fact it was a completely alien concept to him.

"Miyagawa's right," agreed Hatanaka, "no way your dad is that much of an asshole!"

"Okay, so let's rule out Edward's dad for the time being," continued Yoneda, "who else could be responsible?"

"I have a few ideas," Morino mumbled, and we all looked at him in surprise. He always seemed to speak when we least expected him to, but we were nonetheless welcoming to any suggestions at all. "I agree with Ori that multiple people are behind this, and when you think powerful bodies, what comes to mind?"

"Are you saying the government organised this?" Mitsumi said incredulously.

"I'm saying it's possible. As for my other possibility, I was thinking that other Ultimate students could be responsible."

"Other Ultimate Students?" quizzed Tokunaga. "How did you think this?"

"Well, we can assume that some of them must have survived by winning their killing games. What if they end up working for the school? For example, Ori already mentioned that the two bears must be technologically superior animatronics, so I theorized that such a feat could only be achieved by another Ultimate Student."

"So, an Ultimate Robotics Engineer? Or something like that?" Morino turned to Iowa, who had asked the question, and nodded.

"But why would a student who participated in a killing game want to help organize future ones?" said a confused Mina.

"That, I do not know," admitted Morino, "but I don't want to narrow our suspicions down too much. We have so little information to work with, it's best to keep our minds open."

"Miyagawa, can I ask you something?" A sudden thought had occurred to me as Morino spoke, a point I wished to clarify with him directly. He cocked a eyebrow in response.

"If we follow Morino's logic, do you think it's possible that Junichi or your grandmother-"

"Absolutely not."

"But Junichi had a contact here-"

"I said absolutely not, Ori."

"What's going on, you two?" interrupted Ouji.

"Nothing. Ori and I had a conversation about my past earlier. She is suggesting that my... guardian may have had something to do with this because he has a contact at the academy."

"Why didn't you mention this before, Miyagawa?" cried Edward. "Thanks to this, we know that there are other people here."

"I didn't tell you because it's none of your business," growled Miyagawa. "I didn't want you guys to know I was an orphan."

"Dude, we're all going to die in two days, I couldn't care less about your personal life," groaned Sanda irritably.

"In a weird way, I agree with Sanda," conceded Saza, "I don't really care about your past, since we've only got such a limited amount of time together." An expression of shock crossed Miyagawa's face as we all agreed with Sanda, of all people.

"Oh, well whatever" he muttered, his voice trailing as a faint pink hue toned his cheeks.

"Speaking of limited time together," chimed Ouji, "Hatanaka and I had a great idea today!"

"We sure did!" added Hatanaka.

"I am not interested in a sixteen-person orgy, if that's what you're going to suggest," joked Saza with a wink.

"That was going to be my second suggestion," replied Ouji sarcastically. "We actually thought it would be fun to have a pool party tomorrow afternoon in the bathhouse. What do you guys think?"

"That's a great idea!" cheered Nishi. "Hey Mitsumi, what do you think?" His friend was silent and simply shook his head as his eyes inexplicably began to wet. Nishi tried not to hide his disappointment, but said if Mitsumi wasn't going, then he would stay with him. Mitsumi looked at Nishi with so much admiration I thought he would actually burst into tears.

"I will also pass," said Morino flatly, to no one's surprise.

"I don't want to see some of you in bathing costumes," murmured Sanda, eyeing Tokunaga pointedly, who seemed to hunch over in shame.

"Hey, you don't have to be so rude," protested Yoneda furtively, "they say bullies have a stronger sense of shame than those who they bully." Sanda merely shrugged, though was clearly bothered by Yoneda's comment.

"Will you come, Yoneda?" asked Saza.

"I want to, but I have to solve this code for Ori. Once I've done that, I'll join you guys."

"So Nishi, Mitsumi, Sanda, Yoneda and Morino aren't coming," counted Ouji, "but everyone else is?" We all agreed and the excitement for the party made us forget about the fact that we were previously discussing the identity of the mastermind. I carried this excitement back to my room after we had all said goodnight to each other.

I dressed into some pajamas and got into bed, my Seiko-pad in my hands as my classmates discussed the details of the pool party. Ouji said that we could start at two in the afternoon and finish in the evening. Iowa and Saza offered to cook a feast for us all, while Hatanaka informed us he had lifeguard training in case anyone did something stupid like running in the pool area. With all the plans finalized, I moved to put my Seiko-pad on my bedside table, but stopped. I suddenly remembered the motive, and decided to check the screen, just to see if Monoworth was still serious. To my dismay, he was:

_Time Remaining: 49:36:45_

With a heavy sigh, I put my Seiko-pad down and closed my eyes. Sleep came to me a bit more comfortably than yesterday, but an uneasy feeling had rooted itself in my stomach, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was going to happen.

\---

The afternoon came swiftly for us all - I eagerly grabbed my grey bathing suit from my baggage and made my way to the bathhouse, where most of the others had already gathered.

"Ori, you came!" cried Mina, and she grabbed me into her death grip hug, once again testing the robustness of my lunges.

"Of course!" I managed to wheeze. Once everyone else had arrived, the boys went into their changing room and myself and the girls went into ours. After donning our bathing suits (or in Ouji's case tight strips of fabric that barely covered her body at all), we all went to the pool area.

Hatanaka wasted no time in jumping into the water, making a large splash. The other boys soon jumped in after him and laughed, splashing each other and contesting who could hold their breath underwater the longest.

I was a bit more reserved about getting in when things had already gotten so hectic, but Saza, Ouji, Mina, Uehara and Morihei didn't share my apprehension and all leapt into the waters and joined the fight, leaving Iowa and I standing awkwardly on the poolside.

"Hey, Ori, lets go sit over there. We can just dip our legs into the water. I don't want to get too wet before I have to serve the food." Iowa pointed to the opposite end of the pool, which was not at risk of being drowned in my classmates' water war. We sat down on the edge and slowly descended our legs into the waters, anticipating the temperature to be cold, but I was greeted with a warm, soothing heat and I audibly sighed in contention.

"This feels really good," I hummed, and Iowa agreed.

"It sure does. I haven't been to a swimming pool in so long, now that I think about it."

"Is that because you were busy?" I asked. She nodded.

"I help my parents run a candy store back home and since I make all the chocolate we sell by hand, I hardly get any time to relax."

"You made them all by hand?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"I am the Ultimate Chocolatier, Ori. It's not a taxing task, but it is time-consuming. Since my chocolates bring customers from all over the world, I have to prepare enough for them."

"That's far too much work for one person to tackle by themselves! What's going to happen now that you're here? You can't go back..." Iowa pondered my question for a few moments before simply answering with a shrug.

"I don't know, truthfully. If Monoworth was telling the truth, then my parents wanted me here. And if they wanted me here, they want me to die, so I'm guessing they have some sort of backup business plan for the store."

"But doesn't that bother you at all? That your parents sent you here?" Iowa shook her head.

"Probably not as much as it does you. To my parents, I was an employee, not a daughter. As soon as I learned to walk I was in the kitchen, learning how to craft food into works of art. I started with fruit and vegetables, and then moved on to more volatile things like chocolate. I entered a food-sculpting contest when I was eleven years old, and you could tell I had been dismissed by everyone before I'd even begun.

I was very nervous at the time, I was shaking when I went onto the stage to begin my sculpture. But when I saw how the judges and spectators laughed at and took pity on eleven year-old me as I stood there and introduced myself, I felt so humiliated and angry. I thought, 'how dare they treat me differently just because I'm a child.' I was originally going to carve a block of chocolate into a dove holding an olive branch, but I changed my mind. I instead created an effigy of the head judge and decapitated it once I finished. The entire room was silent, and I stormed offstage."

"So, what happened after that?"

"Oh, I won the contest that year and went undefeated every year that I entered," Iowa gloated, "the head judge thought I had great potential in the world of chocolate, so I studied the art of chocolatiering as a teenager and then began to work in my parents' store. I learned that I could sculpt pretty much anything out of chocolate, and news of my work quickly spread. I guess my fame made my parents greedy - they took me out of school and made sure I focused on my craft. I actually never wanted to be the Ultimate Chocolatier, and I also happen to hate the taste of all chocolates."

"Why did you come to the academy then?"

"To get away from my parents," Iowa's expression darkened and she clenched her fists. "I missed out on so much life because of them, all because they wanted to capitalize on a talent that wasn't theirs. It hurt so much knowing that money meant more to them than my happiness, so as soon as I got the letter to come here, I could not wait to get away. I didn't even speak to my parents on the day I left home, I just packed a bag and walked out the door. The best part is I don't even regret it. Going back to what I said about Monoworth's statement, I do not believe my parents want me here, if you want to know how I really feel. I think Monoworth was lying, because there's no way my parents would give up their moneymaker so easily."

"Wow, that's an incredible attitude you have. You're incredible, Iowa!" I cheered, and the Ultimate Chocolatier beamed at me.

"You're too kind, Ori. However, shouldn't you save your compliments for a certain gentleman?" I felt my face heat up and I scowled at Iowa._ Not this again._

"You've been spending too much time with Saza." Iowa laughed.

"And it seems you've been spending lots of time with him. I saw you leave his room yesterday, and while I know you weren't doing anything that would make my strongest chocolate sculptures melt," she added before I could refute her, "I would like to point out that, right now, he is smoking hot when he's just wearing swim shorts."

I looked over at Miyagawa and my eyes almost bulged out their sockets and my jaw flew open - how had he hidden muscles like those? He wasn't as built as Hatanaka, but he was noticeably toned from his biceps to his six-pack. _Iowa is right; Miyagawa is hot._ Realizing what I had just thought, I slapped myself mentally, but I kept on staring at him. He eventually noticed that our eyes were locked onto him, and he waved at us before being jumped on by Mina and dragged under the waters.

"Hey! Ori! Iowa!" shouted Hatanaka, who was carrying Ouji on his shoulders, "jump in! You shouldn't miss out on all the fun!"

"I need to go and serve all the food, but Ori will come join you guys," replied Iowa and, before I could react, I felt a hand on my back and I was shoved into the pool, screaming. A few moments later, however, I was splashing my classmates and having swimming contests with Morihei. I also took a few opportunities to shamefully check out Miyagawa when he wasn't looking. He was too busy trying to separate Ouji and Hatanaka from making out on the pool edge, shouting how unhygienic it was.

The rest of the afternoon went by pretty swiftly; Iowa brought us all plates of delicious snacks and glasses of pineapple juice. We all feasted, laughed and joked merrily before diving back into the pool and having a water fight. Mina in particular seemed to be having a lot of fun, as she constantly tried to jump on people, ceaselessly giggling. Soon, evening came round and we all tired and slowed down.

"Wow, that was so much fun!" yelled an excited Mina, whose energy levels showed no signs of depleting.

"This was such a good idea, you guys!" agreed Morihei, who had just finished drying herself.

"Uehara would like to do this again tomorrow, but..." Uehara trailed off, and we all instantly forgot our happy moods. The very thought we'd been trying to avoid all day immediately crept into our thoughts like an insect that we couldn't swat away. The room chilled and my blood became cold, despite the warm steam rising from the pool. Tomorrow was the day we had all agreed to lose our lives, and no party could make us forget that unspeakable truth.

"Come on guys, we can't get gloomy now!" cheered Hatanaka.

"The big boy is right, I organised this so we could all spend time together as friends. Please, let's not get worked up - we can face tomorrow as friends, even if it is the end..." chimed in Ouji, big tears in her eyes.

"We're sorry, Ouji. We're so grateful that you thought of this, I'd forgotten the last time I'd had this much fun," smiled Iowa sadly.

"That's the spirit, Iowa," shouted Hatanaka, "and the rest of you guys, cheer up. We all had a good time, right? Focus on that rather than some stupid teddy bears." Ouji hugged the Ultimate Construction Worker's waist and cooed in admiration.

"I like it when you're authoritative, Hatanaka. Care to show me more of this side to, say in my room?"

"Guys! Not in front of other people for pity's sake!" I yelled, my hands instinctively reaching to cover Mina's ears, who had gladly not understood what Ouji was referring to.

"Well, guys, it appears I have some plans to attend to," said Hatanaka with a salacious smirk, "so goodnight, and I'll see you all tomorrow. Thanks for coming to the party." With that, he picked up Ouji and practically sprinted out of the bathhouse before anyone could respond.

"What were they talking about, Ori? My ears were covered," quizzed Mina, but I simply shook my head and blushed.

"Let's just go to bed. I'm pretty tired," yawned Morihei, causing the rest of us to realize our need for sleep, and we all slowly filed into our respective changing rooms, dressed into our normal clothes and headed back to our dormitories, sleepily bidding one another goodnight.

I didn't even bother with pajamas; I walked over to my bed and fell on it and fell into a deep sleep. I didn't even have the energy to contemplate the gruesome fate that awaited myself and my classmates - no, my friends - the next day. The awful feeling that I had had yesterday dissipated, but I was right to have felt it.

Because as I slept, the number of living students inside Seiko Academy decreased, and the next morning, we were greeted with our worst nightmare.


	8. The First Victim

When I woke up, the familiar pit in my stomach had returned as I realized that I had less than a day left to live. I was tempted to just stay in bed and wait for the time limit to end, but I knew that if I didn't show up to breakfast, the others would only come looking for me. Grumbling, I forced myself out of bed and remembered that I was still fully dressed – I quickly threw on a different set of slightly darker grey clothes and checked my appearance in the mirror. _Still boring, Ori, _I told myself. I tied my hair up into a ponytail, washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on a little makeup before deciding to head to the cafeteria. I retrieved my Seiko-pad and saw that I had woken up before seven, so I was likely the only one awake. I took a moment to look at the camera in my room, which was fixated on me as it had been every second of my time in the room – why were there only cameras in the bedrooms? I had no recollection of seeing them in the other parts of the school, so why invade my privacy in the one place I had any? Not wanting to remain under its silent gaze any longer, I left my room and headed to the cafeteria to have an early breakfast.

As I walked along the corridor, I found myself thinking about what would happen after today- would we really be executed, and were other teens like us going to be brought here and put through the same ordeal? It didn't make sense how successful this killing game had been. And could we really believe everything that Monoworth and Monomenon had told us? They hadn't spoken to us yesterday; were they really organizing the next group of students? As an endless sea of questions washed over me, I mindlessly wandered into the kitchen and poured some cereal into a bowl. As I went to add milk to my miserable breakfast, I heard a stern voice behind me.

"What are you doing in here?" I turned to see Iowa standing in the doorway of the kitchen, who was as surprised to see me as I was her.

"I woke up early, so I decided to make myself breakfast. Is there a problem?"

"No, I'm just startled to see someone in the kitchen before me. I was about to start making breakfast for everyone – do you want me to make you something, even though you've got that cereal?"

"I guess I may as well treat myself to a second breakfast," I sighed, "it'll be the last breakfast I ever have." Iowa was silent in response and merely nodded before getting to work. I helped her with ingredient collection, but she then asked to be alone with her thoughts and asked I request everyone come to the cafeteria, which I did. Slowly, they all arrived looking as tired and depressed as me; the idea of today being our last alive weighed heavily on everyone's minds. Even Hatanaka and Ouji, who had spent the night together, couldn't even force a smile as they greeted us. Once we all sat down, Iowa silently served us all breakfast, but stopped as she reached the end of the table.

"We're missing someone," she whispered, but the room was so quiet everyone heard her, and we all immediately started looking frantically at who was missing.

"Where is Sanda?" asked Tokunaga worriedly. He was right, the Ultimate Vlogger was absent from breakfast. _Where was she?_ She must have seen my message, and she had attended all the other breakfasts before, despite not wanting to talk to any of us.

"You don't think she's been-" squealed Mina, but she was cut off by Nishi.

"Don't say what I think you're about to say, Mina. She's probably just sleeping, so let's be patient." And so, we all waited for Sanda to turn up. Ten minutes went by. Then twenty. Forty. A whole hour.

"Something's wrong. Even Sanda was never this late to breakfast," I said, and even Nishi couldn't refute me.

"We should go look for her, but not too many of us, in case we startle her," Saza stood up as she said this, "Ori and Morihei, you come with me, we'll go check on her. Everyone else should stay here and wait for us to come back." There was universal agreement to Saza's proposition and the three of us left the cafeteria and walked briskly to Sanda's room.

"You don't think she's really been... you know..." I murmured uncomfortably, unsure whether to bring up the possibility to the girls.

"Let's not make any hasty assumptions, Ori," ordered Morihei, whose face had fixed into a concerned glare.

"Morihei's right, we can't just assume the worst. Though I must admit, I've an awful feeling in my stomach about this. I hope she's okay," Saza looked at me, her eyes betraying that she had already accepted the growing possibility at what had happened to Sanda. We arrived at the door to Sanda's room and Saza knocked on the door.

"Sanda, you in there? We're all having breakfast; do you want to come and join us?" There was no reply and every passing second of silence felt like a minute. Saza tried knocking harder and louder, raising her voice as she called to our friend. But once more, there was no response.

"Saza, we're going to have to just go inside. The others are waiting for an update," I urged, panic in my voice. We all exchanged a look and understood what we could face on the other side of the door. With a gulp and a deep breath, Saza pushed down on the handle and moved forward slowly. The door opened smoothly, as if welcoming us inside. And when we stepped inside, time froze. I screamed. What we found was the very nightmare we were so terrified of waking up to.

Surrounded by a pool of dulled scarlet lay the motionless body of Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger.

\---

"Oh my god... Sanda... no..." Even someone as calm as Morihei couldn't keep her composure at the appalling sight that greeted us. There was Sanda, lying face down in a pool of her own dried blood, her head turned away from us.

"Morihei, run to the cafeteria. Inform the others as calmly as you can what we found and bring them here but warn them that they might not be able to stomach this. Ori, wait here, I need to throw up," Saza darted through to the bathroom and the sound of vomiting echoed throughout the room.

"I... I have to go get the others..." Morihei whispered as she bolted out of the room, her face as white as a sheet. That left me alone with a corpse. _A fucking corpse._

"What the fuck..." I could barely breathe. Frozen to the spot, I couldn't take my eyes off the blood. _Why was there blood? What's happened?_ I couldn't process anything, and my legs gave out from underneath me and it took all my strength not to follow Saza to the bathroom and throw up. I'd seen countless deaths on television and in movies, but something about seeing a real body brought a terrifying chill to my entire body and I felt paralyzed, as though there was an invisible string tying me to stay in the room with the now dead Sanda. I heard the sound of a toilet flushing and a pale Saza walked back into the main bedroom, taking extra care not to look in the direction of the body.

"Ori, get up, we can't afford to be weak now. We need to get ready for the others to come, they're going to react in the same way. Snap out of it, Ori!" But her voice fell deaf on my ears. Someone committed a murder. One of us really did it. Suddenly, I felt a harsh pain on my left cheek. Saza had slapped me, knocking me to my senses.

"Huh? What?" I hardly even registered the pain, but Saza seemed satisfied.

"Focus, Ori. We need to calm down. I'm going to check her pulse, just in case..." Saza and I slowly walked over to Sanda, who had not moved a muscle. I wished with all my heart that this was a sick joke, that Sanda would jump up and scare us. But she didn't, she didn't move at all. Saza carefully lifted each of Sanda's wrists and then put her fingers to Sanda's neck. I knew the answer before Saza even opened her mouth. "She's dead. Oh my god, she's dead, Ori. Dead..." I didn't have time to respond because, at that very moment, I heard the sound of tens of feet running towards the room like a panicked stampede.

"Ori! Sis! Morihei told us what happened and... holy shit," Nishi's words died in his throat as he saw me and Saza kneeling besides Sanda's corpse.

"What the fuck?! What happened?!" bellowed Hatanaka is revulsion.

"Ori? Is she...?" began Yoneda, but I just shook my head. Yoneda put his hands to his mouth and closed his eyes in disbelief.

"I c-can't believe s-someone w-would do this," sobbed Mitsumi, who had fallen to his knees besides Nishi, "I c-can't take this." Before anyone could stop him, Mitsumi ran out of the room, his wailing leaving us in stunned silence.

"I can't look. This can't be happening, oh heavens please make it stop," wept Mina, who hid behind Morihei.

"Uehara does not have a sufficiently strong stomach skill for this," whispered Uehara as the color immediately disappeared from her face.

"Mina, Uehara, you don't have to look," said Morihei gently, "come on, let's get you away from here, okay? We'll go to my room. I'll leave the rest to you guys." With a weak smile, Morihei guided the two smaller girls out of the room.

"I'm... going to check on Mitsumi," stuttered Nishi, who had not been able to tear his worried eyes from his sister looking over Sanda's body. He slowly backed out of the room before sprinting to find his friend. I stood up and addressed the group.

"I know this is impossibly hard to digest, but we need to focus. Yes, Sanda is dead, but we may not have any time to mourn. We have to find out what happened to our friend and-"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I was interrupted by the piercing voice of Monomenon, who had appeared behind the group, who parted so we could all look at him.

"What the fuck do you want, you little bastard?" demanded Saza.

"Language, Miss Yasu," giggled the bear, "you should remember your manners, I am a member of staff, after all. I actually came here to bring you guys some good news and an explanation on what happens next. But first, pop quiz! Who remembers what the rules of the motive are?"

"If one of us kills our target, we leave the school and sacrifice the remaining students. If one of us kills a student who isn't our target, then we have to investigate the murder and figure out who the culprit is, and then either the culprit or the innocent students will be executed depending on the verdict. There was a third option: if no one commits murder, you would execute all of us," relayed Morino immediately and unflinchingly.

"Wow, that's exactly correct, Morino. You sure are clever for an untalented sap," congratulated Monomenon menacingly, but Morino ignored the remark and asked his next question.

"So, what happened?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? It's possible that someone in this room killed her, or it could have been one of those wimps that ran away like cry-babies. Either way, one of you did it; one of you is a murderer!" Monomenon began to cackle while the reality of his words sunk in. Doubt and suspicion immediately filled the air. One of us is a murderer. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it, yet I had to accept this as the truth. But there was one more loose end.

"Why haven't you started executing us, then? Was Sanda not killed by the person who had her as their Motive Day target?" I asked.

"Right you are, carrot-top!" cheered the executioner, "although she was killed by a student, the student that killed her should have murdered someone else to guarantee a successful graduation. However, since they failed to do such a basic task, we have to do the longer, but more exciting way – the class trial!"

"You have mentioned this 'class trial' multiple times," noted Edward, who was admirably calm, "I demand to know what this entails."

"Geez, are all monarchs as needy as you? Fine, I was going to explain it to you nitwits anyway. Ahem! Following the murder of a student, the survivors will be given a period of time to investigate the body, murder scene and so on. They must gather as much evidence and information as possible. Afterwards, all students will be taken to the fifth floor of the school, where they will engage in a debate to figure out the sequence of events that led to the death of one their classmates. Once all aspects of the murder have been satisfactorily discussed, all students must vote for the student who they think committed the crime. If the correct verdict is reached, then I will execute the murderer. If the incorrect verdict is reached, I will execute all students except for the culprit, who will then be released from the school. In order to assist the students with their investigation, Monoworth has installed a new tab on your Seiko-pads called 'Investigation'. With this, you are able to take photos, as well as add notes and observations to them that will then become available to the other classmates at the beginning of the trial. I think that covers all the bases, are there any questions?"

"Of course I have questions!" bellowed Hatanaka, who was practically shaking with rage.

"Yes – ah, what was your name again?" asked Monomenon stupidly.

"I'm Hatanaka fucking Shizue, you stupid teddy! We aren't fucking detectives, how are we supposed to solve a murder?"

"Think of it this way; none of you are trained murderers either – so I imagine there will be mistakes. In fact, I already know who the killer is- oops, did I say that aloud?"

"You know who did it? Tell us!" cried Ouji.

"Of course not – that's not school protocol here at Seiko Academy. Happy investigating, students! Monoworth will announce when your time is up!" And as soon as he had said those words, Monomenon disappeared back into the ceiling.

"I hate that fucking bear so much," growled Hatanaka.

"Hatanaka, I understand your frustrations," warned Edward, "but we have to ignore him for now. If he's telling the truth, and we are at his mercy in our current predicament, then we have to try and solve the mystery of Sanda's death."

"I can't believe she's really been killed," said Tokunaga dejectedly, "she wasn't very nice to me, but why did she become murdered?"

"I don't know how someone was able to do this to her either," agreed Edward, "but, please, we have limited time to understand what's happened. So, let's begin."

"How are you so calm, Edward?" stuttered a weeping Yoneda.

"I have seen death multiple times, albeit not this close. Capital punishment is legal in my kingdom, so death as castigation for a serious criminal offense is not unknown to me. But my experience aside, I feel I should take charge, or at least provide direction. So, with that in mind... two people should stay here to watch the body."

"Why two?" questioned Miyagawa.

"Well, if we nominate only one person, they could be the killer and could tamper with evidence while the rest of us investigate. If two people watch over Sanda, and one of them happens to be the killer, there will be someone there to stop them. I hate to ask, but are there any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," Hatanaka stepped forward with a determined look on his face, "no killer will get past me." Edward nodded in thanks.

"I'd also like to stay and watch over her. I discovered her body, so I want to stay here..." said Saza, who had not yet stopped crying. She looked distraught but acknowledging the demise of one of our friends seemed to have awakened a fierce resolve to help our group find the culprit.

"Thank you both," said Edward, "I know it's not an easy task. Now that we have volunteers to watch over Sanda, we should delegate areas of school to students, to look for clues. We need to search everywhere, because the culprit may have decided to dispose of evidence."

"Before we do that," interrupted Ouji, whose face was red from the sting of tears, "I want to offer something. I could use my knowledge of human biology to produce a makeshift autopsy. It won't be as in depth or as accurate as a professional one, but it could be helpful to get an idea of what happened to Sanda."

"Are you really going to be okay to do that, Ouji?" asked Edward, concerned. "While I think that an autopsy would be of tremendous assistance, I don't want you to overexert yourself..."

"We don't have that luxury anymore. Sanda has been killed, and all of our lives are on the line – I don't want any more casualties, except for the bastard that did this. I can't let my feelings get in the way of finding the truth, no matter how badly I don't wish to confront it."

"That's... very admirable, Ouji. Thank you so much for doing this," Edward bowed in respect to the Ultimate Naturalist. He then turned to the rest of us. "I'm going to exclude Nishi, Mitsumi, Uehara, Mina and Morihei from the investigation – Mitsumi, Uehara and Mina are clearly too upset to be too useful to us, and Nishi and Morihei are looking after them. That leaves seven of us – me, Ori, Morino, Iowa, Miyagawa, Tokunaga and Yoneda – to investigate Sanda's room, the cafeteria, the kitchen, the laundry room, the classrooms and the bathhouse. Iowa, you know the dining areas the best, so it makes sense for you to go there." Iowa nodded and set off immediately to investigate, glad to have a reason to leave the room.

"I'll investigate Classroom 1-A," affirmed Tokunaga and also left the room.

"Then I'll go to Classroom 1-B," added Edward, "but before I go, if the rest of you tell me where you're going, I can formulate a plan for the debate in the class trial."

"I wish to stay here and look over the room; I have a few questions I want to answer for myself," declared Morino. I was surprised he had taken an active interest in what had happened, but if he suspected something, it would be best to let him act on those suspicions.

"I think it would be a good idea if a boy and a girl both go to the bathhouse," mentioned Yoneda, "so I could go with Ori? I need to talk to her about the code anyway."

"That's fine by me," I agreed, though I couldn't help but notice that Miyagawa was looking at Yoneda with an expression I couldn't identify.

"Okay, so that leaves Miyagawa to investigate the laundry room. If there are no questions, then let's do this. For Sanda."

\---

Yoneda and I quickly walked to the bathhouse; Monomenon hadn't told us how long exactly we had to do the investigation. Time was of the essence, so we knew we had to work swiftly and effectively to find anything that might point us to the killer's identity. When we arrived, Yoneda and I agreed to search the boys' and girls' changing rooms respectively to see if we could find anything. After that, we would go to the pool area and search together.

When I entered the girls' changing rooms, I analysed my surroundings. It was an ordinary changing room. There was a locker for each girl, two white, knee-high benches that stood in the middle of the room and several showers at the far side. I decided to start by looking under the benches, since they seemed the least likely place where something would be hidden, and I was right. There was nothing to be found under the benches, so I moved onto the showers – I didn't really know what to expect to find here. We had found Sanda's body in her room, and the bathhouse was the farthest room in the school from there. _What reason would the killer have had to come here?_ Nevertheless, I couldn't afford to be complacent in my assumptions about where the killer had or hadn't been. I began to scan the showers for evidence but once again I couldn't find anything. They were as pristine as they had been when we came to the academy three days ago. As I turned to go inspect the lockers, something on the left wall of the showers caught my eye – a faint smudge of something that I couldn't identify from the distance I was standing. As I neared the smudge, I noticed that it had the shape of a handprint, or rather a print of someone's thumb and index and middle fingers. However, the worst realisation hit me when I looked more closely at the suspicious smear. It was blood, deep crimson and dried, just like it had been when we found Sanda. Had she been in here when she was killed? Or were they the killer's prints – it was impossible to tell if they belonged to a man or woman because they had been smeared outward, as if the person had brushed their fingers against the wall. I had no doubt that this clue would be vital to the case, so I took out my Seiko-pad and took a photo, using the 'Investigation' feature that Monomenon had told us about. I also sent a message to Yoneda, asking him to meet me in the pool area to continue our discussion in ten minutes. In the meantime, I turned my attention to the lockers.

There were eight lockers in total, one for me, the now deceased Sanda, Mina, Uehara, Morihei, Saza, Ouji and Iowa. Going through each of them would be the best course of action. I found nothing in mine, nor Mina's, nor Uehara's. Morihei's was also empty, and there was nothing to be found in Sanda's, Ouji's or Saza's. I opened Iowa's locker and gasped. At the bottom of the locker was a towel, covered in bloodstains. _Why was this in Iowa's locker? Was Iowa the killer, or was that too obvious?_ _Anyone could access the lockers freely; if Iowa was the killer then, surely, she wouldn't have hidden evidence so poorly?_ Not wanting to convince myself of possibilities that might not hold any truth, I simply resorted to taking a picture of the towel and moving onto the pool area to meet Yoneda. He was already there waiting when I arrived.

"Hi, Ori. Did you find anything?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did – a couple of clues, actually. I took some photos," I told him. I showed him what I found on my Seiko-pad, and he shuddered.

"So, you found that towel in Iowa's locker? Do you think that means she's the killer?"

"I don't know. It seems too obvious, like someone planted the towel there to frame her. If I were the killer, I wouldn't hide evidence in a place that would immediately make people suspect me. No, I think it's much more likely that someone else is the killer – but we can't rule Iowa out as a suspect."

"What do you think about that smear, then? I can't tell if it belongs to a boy or a girl from this photo," deliberated Yoneda.

"Nor do we know if it belonged to Sanda or the killer. If it belongs to Sanda, it could mean she was killed here and then moved to her room – we have to figure out how and why. If it belongs to the killer, then why were they here? These are all questions we should try and answer at whatever this class trial is," I explained.

"Understood. How come you're so good at this, Ori?" Yoneda asked the question with a face that suggested he may have laughed if we were not investigating a real murder. "I wouldn't have been able to think of any of that."

"I don't know. I guess my head just works in more logical way, but you're a polyglot, so maybe that's not it. You need logic to learn languages, right?" Yoneda nodded. "Perhaps I'm good at making theories, then. Anyway, did you find anything?"

"Nothing. I searched all the lockers, the showers, everywhere. There was nothing suspicious at all. I'm sorry, Ori."

"It's okay, Yoneda! If we found clues in the boys' changing room as well as in the girls', that would have made things more complicated. Now we know that something definitely only happened in the girls' room. In a way, finding nothing can be as useful as finding something," I reassured him. He was quite meek for someone who specialized in communicating to others. He seemed to brighten at my reassurance.

"Okay, thank you, Ori. By the way, I wanted to investigate with you because I wanted to discuss the code you found in private. I've managed to solve it – but I had a lot of help from Morino."

"Morino? You mean he actually had a conversation with you?" I was shocked.

"Not really a conversation. He basically barged into my room and demanded we look at the code together. He's actually really intelligent; we had the code solved in just a few minutes once we figured out the key. It was actually rather simple, and we think that was deliberate. If the Ultimate Cryptologist wrote the code, he must have made it fairly easy so that we could solve it without too much trouble. If they had made it impossible to solve, there would be no point in writing it."

"This is great news," I said happily, "what did the note say?" Yoneda suddenly frowned.

"Well, that's the weird part. I don't know what it means, and I think that it would be a good idea to wait until after the trial to reveal what it says. We might learn new things about the academy, and since a murder has now happened, we should focus all our attention on that rather than a code. Though I never could have predicted that one of us would die." I didn't respond to that remark.

"Well, now that we've done the changing rooms, let's have a look at the pool area. You do the left side, and I'll do the right."

"I don't think that will be necessary," he said slowly, his eyes directed at the pool itself, "it seems the clue we're looking for is in plain sight." I followed his gaze to the poolside, where two red marks stared at us ominously. More blood. What had happened? Why was there blood so close to the pool? Many more questions also appeared in my mind upon seeing the stains. Yoneda and I moved closer to them and took photos.

"More handprints, if I were to guess," Yoneda whispered, "but why are they here?"

"Judging from their position and shape, I'd say they were made by someone coming out of the pool, and they grabbed the edge to pull themselves out," I analysed the marks closely, trying to guess their origin. "But I also think the person tried to wipe them away, and that's why they're so smudged. Because of the similarity between these marks and the one I found in the shower, it's safe to assume that these were left by the killer. Sanda, as the victim, would have no reason to try and remove evidence, but it's paramount to the culprit. What do you think, Yoneda?"

"I think," he began jokingly, "that you are too good at this. But I'm happy to accept that theory. Perhaps your extreme luck is playing a part in how easy you find this."

"Perhaps, but this is far from easy. I wish Sanda were still alive; even if we only had one day left together, spending it together would have been better than knowing that one of us is a murderer."

"Sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have been facetious," Yoneda apologized, but I didn't think it was necessary. We needed to remain as positive as we could in a circumstance like this.

"It's fine. Let's do a quick sweep of the rest of the room and then head back to Sanda's room and wait for the others to finish." We weren't able to find anything in addition to the three blood marks and the towel, but what we had found was substantial. After finishing our search, we headed back to Sanda's room, where Morino was waiting.

"Hi, Morino," greeted Yoneda cheerfully. "How come you're standing outside the room?"

"Ouji is checking Sanda for external injuries and has to remove the body's clothing to do that. She though it would be more respectful to Sanda if everyone other than her and the two people watching over the body left the room."

"She's so brave," said Yoneda in admiration, "I can't imagine how hard that must be."

"Did you find anything, Morino?" I changed the subject, not wanting to think too much about what was behind the door.

"I did, but I want to withhold what I know, and I suggest you two do the same. If one of us is the killer, and we know what the others have found, it could give us time to think of counterarguments against it. If the killer isn't expecting us to find stuff, then we catch them off guard." I nodded. Like me, Morino seemed to have a surprising knack for this sort of thing. Suddenly, an alarm sounded across the school, and the intolerable, smug voice of Monoworth filled the hallway we were standing in.

"Attention, all students. The allotted time for your investigation has come to an end. Please could everyone gather at the elevator, which you can see in the bottom right-hand corner of your school maps. Select the fifth floor, where Monomenon and I are waiting for you to begin your very first class trial. How terribly exciting!"

The microphone cut out and the stillness that followed was thick and heavy, making it more strenuous to breathe._ It was already that time? We were really going try and solve a murder case?_ I checked the map for the location of the elevator. I realized that we had forgotten to check that when we initially looked around the school, and I don't remember seeing a doorway there when I had gone to the pool party yesterday. Nevertheless, the three of us made our way to the specified place, where everyone except Hatanaka, Ouji and Saza had already gathered by a large set of iron doors which had definitely not been there before. Just how many sliding panels in the wall and ceilings did this academy have? My friends were all wearing mixed expressions on their faces: fear, solemnity, worry. No one could find the energy to smile. Mitsumi was silently sobbing into a tissue; Nishi was holding the box for him. No one said a word when the three of us arrived, just a few glances. No one wanted to confront the truth that when we entered those doors, we would either be sentencing one of our own to death, or that all of us except the killer would die. The cruelty of what we were about to endure blanketed us in an inescapable fog of doubt, mistrust and terror. After a few minutes, the final three students arrived. Saza and Hatanaka looked shaken, but not as much as Ouji, who looked so drained I thought she might collapse had she not been leaning on Hatanaka's muscular frame. He held her gently by the waist, while Saza held her right hand in comfort. I was hardly surprised to see Ouji in that condition – she just had to do the unthinkable and examine a classmate's corpse, and I couldn't help but silently thank her a thousand times in my head for her strength.

Once we were all stood by the entrance to the elevator, the massive doors instantaneously swung open with a loud creak, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Such an awful sound seemed hauntingly fitting. Morino was the first to step inside, and the rest of us followed. The elevator itself was just a dark, iron cage with a panel that housed a single, large button with the number five inscribed on it. Morino, with little hesitation, pressed the button and the elevator began to slowly move upwards. The only light as we ascended came from the button, and I couldn't see anyone's face except for Morino. His expression was normally so hard to read but somehow, in the darkness, his emotions were clearer than they ever had been in the light. He was scared. I was scared. We were all scared.

The trial for the murder of Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger, was about to begin.


	9. The Crimson Trail

The elevator stopped and the metal doors slowly opened to reveal a blinding light. Once my eyes had accustomed, I stepped out of the elevator cautiously, wary of what was awaiting us. But I could never have predicted the room that I had walked into. It was like another world, or at least that's what I thought at first. The room itself was a large circle and was impossibly high. The interior of the room was equally startling; stain-glass windows of the headmaster decorated large portions of the walls. The fact that Monoworth had turned a sordid occasion into a vanity project greatly unsettled me, as well as intensified my hatred of him. Large, violet drapes cascaded from the tops of the glass mosaics to the floor, which itself was a dull, grey parquet. Golden pillars stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Such grandiosity and ostentatiousness against the dreariness of the floor and ceiling created a confused and broken setting. Despite its baffling design, the room's center was where my attention was immediately drawn. Several wooden podiums that resembled witness stands stood in a circular formation, and behind them were two tall thrones, upon which Monoworth and Monomenon were already sat.

"Ah, students! Welcome to Seiko Academy's very own trial hall. Please, look for the podium inscribed with your name and stand behind it. Then, we can begin proceedings," instructed Monoworth gleefully. We circled the podiums like curious vultures around a carcass until we found the one assigned to us. I found myself stood between Uehara and Mina, and opposite Miyagawa.

"Thank you for finding your places so quickly, you guys must be eager to hunt down the killer! Before I give an explanation of the class trial, please put your Seiko-pad on your podium. This will share any data you have collected with your classmates, as well as with myself and Monoworth," Monomenon's joyful tone only amplified the already incomprehensible mood of the room. Not daring to defy the bears, I laid my Seiko-pad down in front of me and the floor underneath me lit up. One by one, the others' platforms did the same.

"Oh, I love it when they're obedient," cooed Monomenon.

"Okay, now that we're all ready," began Monoworth, "I shall explain the process of the class trial. This will essentially function like a debate; students will present ideas, arguments and pieces of evidence to try and pinpoint the culprit behind the murder of one of their beloved classmates. Once the students have come to some sort of conclusion as to who the killer is, a vote will be cast, and the majority wins. Remember, diplomacy is the best policy!"

"I thought honesty was the best one?" interrupted Monomenon stupidly.

"I don't care about that. It's diplomacy now. Once the vote has been cast, I will reveal if the correct verdict was reached, as both Monomenon and I already know who the killer is. If the students vote correctly, then Monomenon will punish the perpetrator. If not, then he gets to execute everyone besides the culprit, who then gets to walk away from the academy. So, my dear students, who murdered Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger?"

"I d-don't want to d-do this," wept Mitsumi, "t-to think one of u-us k-killed Sanda is t-too much to think a-about..."

"Tell me, Monoworth," said Tokunaga, "why is there an empty podium there?" He pointed to the space between Hatanaka and Yoneda, to a podium where no one was standing.

"Oh that? That's where Sanda would have stood if she were still alive, and someone else had been the victim. Would you like us to erect a portrait of her there, as a reminder that one of you betrayed the group?" Monoworth started to laugh, and I don't believe I could have hated him more than I did right then.

"We can't let that person get away with what they've done," maintained Nishi through gritted teeth. "We had all made a promise to see the three days through together. Why did Sanda have to die?"

"We can't let our emotions get in the way right now," said Edward firmly, "though I must admit, I don't really have much experience with trials. I don't really know how to begin."

"If I may," I started, "I think a good idea would be to talk about Sanda's body. I don't remember much, but when I watched detective shows on television, they would always start with the victim. So, maybe Ouji should tell us what she found in her autopsy?" All our heads turned to Ouji, who was still visibly pale from her ordeal. She shrunk in her podium a little. It was so alarming to see the girl who had been so confident and energetic on the first day look so weak and fatigued. She timidly nodded, swallowed and started to talk.

"Well, I did my best. My autopsy won't be amazing, but it's better than nothing," her voice was hoarse and tired, as if every word cost her a lot of energy. "I also took some photos as evidence, though I must warn you that some are really unpleasant to look at. Firstly, the cause of death. From what I observed, Sanda seems to have been violently beaten to death. There are signs of blunt trauma to the front and sides of her head, but no injuries were sustained at the back of the head. Whoever killed Sanda attacked her head-on. Both her eyes had been blackened, her whole face was swollen, her nose had been broken to almost irreparable lengths. Her lips were cut and swollen also. Much of her face was covered in blood. If I were to hazard a guess, her death was slow and painful, and I can't possibly guess how many times she was struck across the head. Here is a photo of her, please look away if you can't stomach it." When she finished talking, my Seiko-pad lit up and my eyes glanced upon the most gruesome and sickening thing I'd ever had the misfortune of seeing. It was a picture of Sanda, but she was almost unrecognizable. Her face had been left in an utterly revolting way. The areas around her mouth and nose were soaked in blood and grotesquely misshapen, probably because of all the times she had been struck as Ouji had suggested. Bruises, cuts and swelling occupied the skin where blood did not – _just how much had Sanda suffered?_

"Who would do this? What kind of monster would do something so awful?" cried Mina.

"What the fuck..." muttered Hatanaka.

"This isn't all," continued Ouji, who had now begun to brokenly sob as she spoke. "I inspected all of the body – I asked Saza and Hatanaka to look away while I did so, out of respect for Sanda. There were additional injuries on her shoulders, arms and hands. I'll show you those now. Firstly, the shoulder and arm injuries." Another photo flashed onto the screen of my Seiko-pad, a substantially less gory image of Sanda's bare arms and shoulders. On both sides of her body, between the shoulder and armpit, were two large, bluish-brown bruises. Located in roughly the same place on both sides, they were too suspicious to simply be dismissed, and were definitely fresh enough to be considered part of the crime.

"Why are they there? Do you think the killer hit her there as well?" asked Tokunaga shyly.

"I don't think so," I replied, "given how large those bruises are. I think it's much more likely that a lot of pressure was applied to her there. Perhaps the killer pinned her down?"

"I agree with Ori," added Morino, "but does anyone else have any other suggestions?"

"Do you think it's possible she sustained those bruises before coming to academy?" asked Yoneda.

"No, they're definitely fresh," Ouji shook her head, "they are, in my view, connected to her death."

"Okay, so she has injuries on her shoulders. Didn't you mention her hands were also affected, Ouji?" asked Hatanaka, folding his arms over his chest.

"That's right, though they weren't injured, per se. Take a look," she requested, and yet another photo appeared. It depicted Sanda's right hand, and at first, I didn't see anything wrong. But when I squinted, I noticed faint traces of blood painted the tips of her fingers.

"Why is there blood on her hand?" squealed Mina in terror. "Did the killer do this to her?"

"It's hard to say", admitted Ouji, "because her hand was lying in blood when we... found her, so it could just be because of that. But I find it strange that her hand is spotless; it should have had blood elsewhere."

"I also find it odd how specific the blood is," said Miyagawa in agreement, "though let's not make any theories yet. Are those all the injuries, Ouji?" The Ultimate Naturalist nodded and sighed heavily, as if the burden of conducting such a cruel search had finally been released. "So, where does that leave us?"

"I have a question," said Morihei abruptly, "if she was attacked head-on, surely she would have had time to scream? And failing that, I have no doubt that hitting her that hard would have made some noise. How come no one heard her?"

"I can answer that one," responded Hatanaka, "I realized that our bedrooms are completely soundproof on the first day we came here. I had assumed it was for privacy reasons, which comes in handy from time to time." His eyes darted quickly to Ouji, obviously in reference to the time they had spent together the night before. "But effectively, even if I screamed at the top of my lunges, the person in the adjacent room wouldn't hear a thing. So, it was impossible that any of us could have heard her." I shuddered. Knowing that we were completely powerless to help Sanda the moment someone had decided to take her life made her death even more heartbraking. I found myself overcome by a loathing of the person who had done this to one of our friends, even if they were a friend themselves. Friendship meant nothing in the face of a murder trial.

"Now that we've discussed all her injuries," began Morihei, "maybe we should move on to how she got them. We know that she was struck on the head and face multiple times, but with what? And where did that weapon come from?"

"There was nothing in the classroom that I searched that could have been used to inflict such heavy damage," affirmed Edward, "so it's safe to assume that that room has nothing to do with the crime."

"I say the same thing about my classroom," contributed Tokunaga, "I was not able to find anything."

"That means that both classrooms were uninvolved," concluded Morino, "therefore the weapon came from elsewhere?"

"Not the kitchen," said Iowa firmly, "I checked every nook and cranny of that place, and I know every tool we have off by heart. Nothing in there was missing and the only thing that could have possibly caused that kind of damage would have been a rolling pin, but as I mentioned, nothing was taken. The killer didn't go to the kitchen."

"So, we're left with Sanda's room, the laundry room and the bathhouse," surmised Morihei.

"It's also possible," began Morino, "that the weapon is inside the killer's room. We didn't have the foresight to search our rooms."

"Can't we just go back downstairs now to check?" asked Hatanaka.

"Nope! Sorry, we locked the doors after you came in here," shouted Monomenon, "and we are also currently moving Sanda's body and cleaning her room."

"Where are you taking her body?" cried Mina.

"Well, bears are carnivorous..." growled Monomenon menacingly, licking his lips. Mina screeched in terror at the suggestion.

"Don't let him distract you," reprimanded Morino, "let's just focus on the current line of inquiry: the weapon."

"Is the weapon really that important?" I asked suddenly.

"What do you mean, Ori?" asked Saza.

"It just occurred to me. Why do we need to know what the weapon is? How does that knowledge help us?"

"I suppose," responded Iowa, "that we would understand where the killer has been."

"Well I already have evidence to suggest where they've been – evidence that Yoneda and I found."

"I also have evidence to present to you guys," commented Miyagawa.

"Let's just wait, please, guys," interjected Edward.

"Huh?" Why had Edward said that? We were making progress, why did he interrupt us like that?

"I don't think we've finished talking about Sanda yet. I think we should discuss her more, if you guys don't object," the Ultimate Monarch addressed the question to all of us. No one objected, but Uehara timidly raised her hand.

"Umm... what else is there to discuss? Uehara thinks we already talked about everything and her energy rating is dangerously low..."

"I don't really understand what that means," responded Edward slowly, "but I'll explain myself. In my view, we should base our preliminary questions around the victim. Who was killed? How were they killed? Where were they killed? When were they killed? And, most importantly, why were they killed? It's highly likely that once we answer these questions, we'll be able to better understand the case and identify the killer." I couldn't fault his logic, for I still had questions myself about Sanda.

"Well, we can already answer some of those," stated Nishi, "we know that, obviously, Sanda was the victim and Ouji's autopsy revealed that the cause of death were several blunt force traumas to her head."

"M-maybe w-we should l-look at w-when she died," suggested Mitsumi meekly.

"I don't know if that's possible," said Ouji doubtfully, "I don't have the required medical knowledge to make that kind of assessment."

"But the blood was dried, yes?" I countered. "We can assume then that the murder happened yesterday, and not today."

"You mean she was just left there in her room overnight?" yelped Saza. I nodded sadly. "I don't know who is responsible for this, but when I find out I'm going to-"

"Enough, sis," ordered Nishi, "we'll cross that bridge when we get to the bottom of what happened. For now, control your emotions." Saza went silent, but I could see her shaking with rage. Even though Sanda hadn't been close to any of us, her death had left an emptiness within each and every one of us, and Saza's reactions were demonstrative of this.

"So, she was murdered yesterday," mused Miyagawa, "but what time exactly? Do we have any way of knowing?"

"The last time anyone saw her alive was breakfast yesterday, so that leaves the whole day and night as a possible time of death," I responded, "the only way we can narrow down a time frame is by looking at everyone's alibis."

"Okay, so we don't know when exactly she was killed," said Edward, "but can we at least figure out where she was killed? It seems her body was never moved, so she was murdered in her room, right?"

"Exactly, unless anyone has any evidence to suggest otherwise," said Ouji.

"Ori found something," chirped Yoneda, "when we were searching the bathhouse."

"What did you guys find?" asked Mina.

"A few things, actually," I said, "if you look at your Seiko-pads, I'll show you what I found first." I pressed a button and the photo of the smudged, bloody handprint in the girls' showers appeared. A few of my classmates gasped.

"Is that... blood?" asked Tokunaga.

"It is," I confirmed, "I believe the blood belongs to Sanda, but I can't tell who the handprint belongs to because it has been smudged. Therefore, it could belong to Sanda, which would mean that she may not have been murdered in her room, but in the bathhouse. Then, she would have been moved to her room."

"I don't think that's possible," disagreed Morino, and I looked at him quizzically. "The bathhouse is the farthest room from our dormitories; if she had been moved that far, then surely there would have been traces of blood in the hallway, on the floor."

"Maybe the killer waited until she stopped bleeding, then moved her body?" suggested Yoneda, but Morino shook his head.

"No, I don't think that's right either. If the killer had done that, then they would have risked being caught in the bathhouse while they waited. If anyone had seen them, then their crime would have been found out. Therefore, I believe that Sanda must have been murdered in her room."

"So, the handprint that Ori found belongs to the killer?" asked Yoneda.

"That's correct, Yoneda," I verified, "and now that I think about it, this clue also provides us with some extra information – when Sanda was killed."

"You're talking about the pool party that we had yesterday, aren't you?" I turned to Morihei and smiled and nodded. _It looks like she has figured out the same thing as me, _I thought.

"What do mean? What does the pool party have to do with the crime?" demanded Hatanaka.

"The pool party itself is not what we should be concerned with," said Morihei, "but let me ask the girls something – did any of us see that handprint both times that we were in the changing room? That is, before or after the pool party?"

"I don't recognize it," admitted Saza, and the rest of the girls agreed.

"Uehara can report she has not seen that handprint," cried Uehara, posing stupidly.

"Nor I," said Iowa.

"So that means," concluded Morihei, "that the handprint appeared after we had left the bathhouse. This greatly narrows down our time frame for when the crime took place to about a four-hour window- from eight o'clock in the evening to midnight."

"How do you know that?" asked Nishi, who had not attended the pool party to spend time with Mitsumi.

"Well, we finished roughly at that time," Saza informed her brother.

"And Monoworth told us on the first day that night-time at the school begins officially at midnight," I added, "which is likely important for some reason?"

"Miss Asaji is correct," cheered Monoworth. "After midnight, I lock your doors until about six o'clock in the morning while I clean the school and restock your food. It is impossible to leave or enter a dormitory between those hours."

"That means Sanda was murdered between eight o'clock and midnight yesterday evening," I determined.

"So, everyone who doesn't have an alibi for those times could be the killer," said Nishi, "well I was with Mitsumi all that time."

"You two sure spend a lot of time together," commented Hatanaka, "is there something going on?" Nishi blushed.

"That's not relevant to this case!" he spluttered, while Mitsumi looked at him with a confused expression.

"Well, Hatanaka and I also have an alibi for the whole night, which we spent together," said a blushing Ouji.

"That's right," confirmed the Ultimate Construction Worker, "so there's no way we could have done it."

"I was with Yoneda," said Morino, "he and I were working on the code that Ori and Miyagawa found. I left his room at about half past eleven."

"You really spent all day on that code?" asked Miyagawa.

"No, just the evening. But there's no way I could have killed Sanda, gone to the bathhouse and gotten back to my room in thirty minutes." Miyagawa nodded at Morino's words, so I decided to ask another question that had been bothering me.

"But Ori found that handprint in the girls' changing room, right?" asked Hatanaka, "so doesn't that mean that the killer is a girl?"

"Not necessarily," denied Morihei, "a boy could have planted evidence there to try and frame a girl. Both changing rooms are accessible to both sexes, so as long as no one else was there, it is possible for a boy to enter the girls' changing room, and vice versa."

"Why did the killer go to the bathhouse at all?" Everyone's head turned to me. "Don't you think it's strange that they went there? If you had just killed someone, and you were covered in blood, surely you would go straight to your own room and use the showers. There's no stupid rule to say that the water is turned off at night, so why bother walking all the way to bathhouse?"

"That's been bothering me too," agreed Morihei.

"Furthermore, since we've established that the handprint I showed earlier belongs to the killer, they must have had a reason for going all the way there."

"Then there's the matter of the additional evidence we found at the bathhouse," mentioned Yoneda.

"You guys found more?" Iowa sounded very surprised.

"Yeah, we found an extra set of handprints at the pool side. Look," I touched my Seiko-pad again and the screen changed to show the other handprints we had found.

"What the... more handprints?" cried Nishi.

"Ori suggested that the killer was in the pool and grabbed the side when they pulled themselves out, leaving behind these handprints," said Yoneda.

"Unfortunately," I added, "they are also smudged, so I can't say if they belong to a boy or girl."

"But why w-was the k-killer in the p-pool?" asked Mitsumi.

"Perhaps they went for a swim?" suggested Uehara, and I groaned.

"No, Uehara, they likely went to the pool to wash the blood off their body."

"But we have showers in our dormitories," said Tokunaga, "so why did the killer not use theirs?"

"I don't think we can answer that right now," suggested Edward, "Ori and Yoneda's evidence doesn't point us in the direction of identifying the killer, but I think it will be important for when we discuss the killer's movements properly."

"You want to change the topic again? Isn't that suspicious?" supposed Mina. Edward glared at her and she squealed.

"If you want to doubt me, then fine, but I think we should return to our questions about Sanda – I'm bothered by the fact that we're even doing this class trial." What? I frowned at the Ultimate Monarch – _what was he talking about?_ It seemed everyone but Morino was confused.

"You're wondering _why_ Sanda was killed, considering we were given a motive," it wasn't a question, but rather a statement to which Edward nodded in response.

"The motive for murdering Sanda?" Saza asked.

"Don't you remember Motive Day, Saza?" She turned to her brother, who had seemed to have caught on to what Edward and Morino were suggesting. "If the killer was acting on the motive that Monoworth and Monomenon gave us, then we wouldn't be here – we would all be dead."

"He told us that we had to murder a specific person," I said, also understanding where we were heading with the conversation, "in order to leave the school without doing a class trial. But we're doing a class trial, so that means Sanda was not the killer's designated target."

"Armed with this knowledge, the list of suspects could be narrowed down by one, so long as the person who had Sanda as a target isn't one of the people who already has an alibi," confirmed Morino.

"Let's see," mused Hatanaka, "Ouji and I have alibis, as do Yoneda, Morino. So, who had Sanda as their target?" Mina slowly raised her hand.

"It was me," she whispered.

"So, Mina isn't the killer?" asked Iowa.

"That's correct!" cheered Monomenon suddenly, "we asked Mina to kill Sanda, but since Sanda was murdered by someone else, Mina cannot be the killer."

"But that still means that eleven of us don't have an alibi..." realized Iowa, "can we really solve this case? We don't have any more evidence, do we?"

"Actually, Miyagawa, Morino and I haven't finished presenting our evidence," I answered.

"You mean there's more? This is taking forever, and I'm tired," yawned Mina.

"Mina, don't be so selfish," scolded Saza, "Sanda's dead, remember? We can't bring her back; our lives are on the line and you're worried about _sleep_? It shouldn't matter how long it takes; we have to find out what happened. If you aren't going to help, then shut up!" we were all silent at Saza's outburst. "It isn't fair," she continued sadly, "she didn't deserve to die, and someone took her life. Poor Sanda..."

"You're a good friend, Saza," I said encouragingly, "I think we will be close to solving the case soon enough, we just need to see all the evidence. Then we can deal with the consequences."

"With that in mind, who wants to present their evidence first?" asked Edward. Morino was the first to speak.

"I will, I think my evidence will only help us determine something we've already established, which is where Sanda was killed. I found some blood on the inside handle of the door to Sanda's room. My guess would be that the killer murdered Sanda in her room, got blood on their hands and then left the room, getting blood on the door handle."

"But why not just use Sanda's bathroom to clean the blood off their body?" I asked.

"Maybe it was a mistake," suggested Morino. "Remember, none of us here are born killers, so it's understandable that whoever the killer is made a miscalculation when trying to cover up their crime."

"So, a-after they murdered S-Sanda," began Mitsumi, "they w-went to the b-b-bathhouse and t-tried to w-wash off the blood in the p-pool. But they c-couldn't remove it all, s-so they left b-behind some p-prints."

"At some point they also went into girls' changing room and left the other handprint that Ori found," added Nishi. "It seems we're starting to understand the crime now."

"The killer also did one other thing in there," I mentioned. I began to feel uneasy. I knew that the evidence that I was about to present would make one of us look like the prime suspect.

"Ah, your other piece of evidence," remarked Tokunaga.

"Correct. I found this," I showed them the bloodstained towel, "in one of the lockers."

"Wow, you're so awesome, Ori!" gasped Uehara, "you should be Uehara's sidekick on her next adventure!"

"Uehara..." Saza warned, silencing the other girl. Yoneda, sensing another outburst, quickly spoke up.

"Ori told me it's possible that the killer used the towel to remove any blood that they'd been unable to in the pool and showers. They probably also used the towel to dry themselves."

"But does the towel give any indication as to who the killer is?" asked Morino. I gulped and a sense of foreboding came over me and I froze. Everyone was looking at me expectantly, as if I was holding back some sort of secret. Yoneda, who understood what I was about to do, made eye contact with me and nodded, as if to say that everything would be okay.

"Well," I began, "each of the lockers is assigned to one of the girls – I assume it's same for the boys?"

"That's right," said Yoneda, "when I was doing my investigation of the boys' changing room, there was a locker with each of our names written on it."

"So, you're saying that the owner of the locker is the killer?" concluded Iowa. "Who was it, Ori?" _Why did you have to ask me that question, of all people? I'm so sorry, Iowa._

"It was in yours, Iowa. I found the bloody towel in your locker."


	10. Crime and Punishment

The room went silent. _I'm so sorry, Iowa, but I can't lie to these guys._

"I-in mine?" shrieked Iowa in disbelief. "Why was it in there?!"

"I don't know," I admitted, "but that's where I found it."

"Ori! Are you saying Iowa's the killer?" cried Nishi.

"I'm not the killer!" shouted Iowa, tears forming in her eyes. "I would never do that! Why would I kill someone?"

"I... also find it hard to believe that Iowa is the killer," confessed Morino, "but we can't just ignore this. Iowa, if this towel was in your locker, that does cast suspicion on you."

"But I didn't put that towel in there, it was obviously planted there. This doesn't prove anything," Iowa wailed. I felt for her; I couldn't imagine how awful it felt to suddenly become the prime suspect, to feel like a million accusations were being thrown at you ceaselessly and unrelentingly.

"Guys," I said urgently, "we've not finished discussing all the evidence. Please, withhold your accusations until we're done."

"But doesn't this mean she's the killer? Let's just vote for her now," demanded Saza.

"Saza... I thought you were my best friend here... why are you...?" Iowa stared at Saza in shock. "This is too much... I'm not the killer... please..."

"I still have evidence to show you guys," said Miyagawa firmly, "so can we wait until we've seen that before we start to come to make any conclusions. I'm confident that this evidence will help us decide the killer." What did Miyagawa know? _Did he really find something that would solve the case?_

"What did you find?" demanded Saza.

"As you guys know, I searched the laundry room," began Miyagawa, "where I found this." My Seiko-pad flashed, and it took me a few moments to realize what I was looking at. Miyagawa had taken a photo of what looked like a mint green bathing suit. For some reason, it looked really familiar, as if I had seen it before.

"It seems that someone tried to wash this bathing suit at some point yesterday, and left it in the washing machine overnight," summarized Miyagawa.

"Isn't there a washing machine for each person?" asked Tokunaga, "so I presume that you're going to tell us whose washing machine you found it in."

"Don't tell me..." whispered Iowa.

"I indeed found it in Iowa's machine," said Miyagawa confidently, earning a howl from Iowa, who sank onto her platform in despair. "Furthermore, we have several witnesses, including myself, who can confirm that this was the same design as the bathing suit that Iowa wore to the pool party yesterday." So that's where I had seen it before. _Did this really solidify Iowa's guilt?_

"It wasn't me! I promise I didn't kill her," she screamed.

"Just admit it already, Iowa. Stop fighting us," commanded Saza coldly, staring at the Ultimate Chocolatier with utter disdain. "You killed Sanda and tried to hide the evidence by washing the clothes you were wearing and cleaning the blood off your body in the bathhouse. You're a murderer!"

"Saza... please, believe me..." Iowa was bawling now, "Miyagawa, please tell you don't think..."

"I'm sorry," was all Miyagawa said.

"So, I guess we've come to the end of the discussion," sighed Hatanaka.

"Iowa's not the culprit." My head snapped back to Miyagawa, who made that statement.

"What? You said she was the killer!" yelled Saza, but Miyagawa simply shook his head.

"Sorry, but that's not what I said at all. The evidence is convincing, but what I found heavily implies Iowa's innocence."

"I hope you're not fooling us around, Miyagawa," warned Edward.

"Absolutely not, I'm convinced of my findings. Let me ask Iowa something," he turned to Iowa, who was looking at him with a scary mixture of hope and fear, "what were you wearing when you left the bathhouse?"

"When I left the bathhouse?" Iowa wiped her eyes and thought for a moment, "well I suppose I was wearing my normal clothes."

"Exactly. You weren't wearing you bathing suit when you left the bathhouse, a fact to which several of us were witnesses," confirmed Miyagawa, "and there's another thing. If you were wearing your bathing suit when you killed Sanda, then there would be albeit faint traces of the smell of chlorine on Sanda's body and in her room, and although most of us would have missed that, Ouji definitely would not have during her evaluation of the body."

"There definitely weren't any odors other than blood," affirmed Ouji.

"But what does this have to do with Iowa not being the killer?" questioned a very muddled Mina.

"The point I'm trying to make," replied Miyagawa, "is that it's too convenient for Iowa to be the killer, and it doesn't make any sense for her to change into a wet bathing suit to commit a murder. Hasn't anyone else thought the evidence points to Iowa too obviously, as though she had made no effort to cover up her crime? I think someone else is the killer and tried to frame Iowa." Miyagawa's thoughts did make sense, and I remembered my investigation with Yoneda. I had had a similar thought back then – _had she really been framed? And by whom?_

"That does make a certain degree of sense..." conceded Morino, "it does seem a little too easy for Iowa to be the killer. Maybe we should reevaluate who the killer could be."

"It's actually pretty simple," stated Miyagawa, "there are only two people it could be." Then it clicked. _Oh my god, he's right,_ I thought. "It seems you've realized the same thing, Ori." I looked at him and nodded.

"Who are they, Ori? Who are the two possible killers?" demanded Morino. Everyone leaned in expectantly, their eyes once again me like I was the bearer of some forbidden knowledge. My throat was dry, and I was scared to talk, but then my eyes fell to the empty space where Sanda would have stood. _This was for her. For her memory. To back down now would be an insult to that memory._

"Before I reveal who I think the potential killers are," I started, "allow me to explain the thought process, especially for those who did not attend the pool party. Now that we seem to be almost universally agreed that Iowa is not the killer, we have to ask who is. The killer has to be someone who attended the pool party, because they knew what color bathing suit Iowa was wearing, and then tried to frame her by planting it in the laundry room for us to find. Therefore, we can rule out Morino, Yoneda, Mitsumi and Nishi as culprits. We also know that Mina cannot be the culprit because of the fact that the motive was unsuccessful. That leaves us with ten students, as we have ruled out Iowa too. So, one of these ten students tried to frame Iowa, and is the true killer. However, there's another problem. Since the killer tried to frame Iowa with a bathing suit, that means they didn't know that Iowa had changed clothes after the pool party. Therefore, our killer is someone who knew what color bathing suit Iowa wore, but someone who didn't know she had changed. In other words, someone who left the party before the rest of us. That can be only two people. Ouji and Hatanaka."

"Ori!" Ouji screamed in shock.

"Yo, what the fuck did you just say?" yelled Hatanaka, but I didn't back down.

"My reasoning fits," I said, "one of you murdered Sanda, and has tried to frame Iowa for the crime!"

"Ori, are you sure?" asked Edward cautiously, "this is a very serious accusation."

"And yet some of us were so eager to accuse Iowa just moments ago of the exact same thing," I retorted. Edward had no answer to that.

"Ori... thank you..." whispered Iowa, whose voice had become hoarse from all the crying.

"Don't thank me yet, we're not finished here," I said.

"I have a question for the bears," announced Miyagawa.

"Oh? We're finally being written into this conversation?" Monomenon said, seeming to wake up from being addressed so suddenly.

"What happens if there are two killers? Say, a killer and an accomplice?"

"Oh, that question always comes up in the first cases!" giggled Monomenon.

"If the killer has an accomplice," began Monoworth, "the accomplice is not considered to be a guilty party, therefore they will not be punished if the correct verdict is reached. Conversely, if you guess the killer wrong, then the accomplice is executed along with the rest of the students. Essentially, there is no benefit to helping someone kill another."

"Why did you want to know that, Miyagawa?" asked Yoneda.

"I was entertaining the idea that these two worked together to kill Sanda," replied Miyagawa.

"I didn't kill anyone! We didn't kill anyone, we have an alibi," roared Hatanaka.

"He's right! We were together the whole night!" squeaked Ouji, "plus, why would I offer to conduct an autopsy on someone I killed? I would only lie about it!"

"I believe that, Ouji, I really do. You say you have an alibi," Morino started, "but I have a question for you, Ouji. I need you to forget any emotional attachment you have to Hatanaka when you answer me. Can you do that for me?"

"What are you doing?" demanded Hatanaka.

"I guess... I can do that, but what are you asking me?" Ouji's expression was full of suspicion.

"Was there any point last night between eight o'clock and midnight-"

"Morino, shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut UP!"

"Where Hatanaka was not in your sight?" Morino finished his question, despite Hatanaka's furious protestations. Ouji, for her part, looked terrified. _She doesn't understand, _I thought to myself,_ she doesn't understand that what she says here will determine so much of this case._ In a way, I was happy she didn't. The guilt that would follow if she knew what she was confirming would undoubtedly destroy her, so I was glad she didn't know, and I hoped she would never find out how responsible for the outcome of the trial she would be.

"Not in my sight? I don't think so, we went back to my room, because it's the nearest to the bathhouse. Then we," she stopped, blushed furiously, "enjoyed each other's company before going to sleep."

"And do you remember if you fell asleep first, or if Hatanaka fell asleep first?" probed Morino, ignoring the enraged stare that was being directed at him by Hatanaka

"Well, I guess I did," said Ouji in thought.

"Thank you, Ouji, that's all I wanted to know," Morino said, then turned to me.

"Ori, you know, don't you? You know what Ouji just did?"

"What did I just do?" Ouji asked worriedly. I swallowed, opened my mouth and delivered the final strike to the group.

"Hatanaka is the killer," I proclaimed, "and we are almost ready to prove it."

"Wait!" bellowed Hatanaka, "you think it's just okay to accuse me of being a fucking murderer? And your proof is that Ouji fell asleep? Don't make me laugh with your bullshit!"

"We may not have solid proof, but we do have logic," corrected Morihei, "I believe a few of us here have worked out that you're the guilty party."

"But, how is that possible? Hatanaka's the killer? But he was with me!" shouted Ouji desperately.

"He was with you _for most of the evening,_" Morihei asserted, "which does not mean that you can say for certain if he was with you the _whole_ evening. Since you fell asleep, and didn't wake up until the following morning, Hatanaka has no alibi for those times. And if Hatanaka refutes your testimony, then that means we'd have to vote for you as the culprit."

"But... didn't Morino say he left Yoneda's room? Couldn't he be the culprit?"

"Impossible," Morino denied the question. "I wouldn't have known what color Iowa's bathing suit was as I didn't attend the pool party, so I couldn't have had the knowledge to use it to frame her."

"But there are still holes in your argument," maintained Hatanaka, "if I'm the killer, as you say, then show me some proof!"

"That's easy," said Miyagawa, and I recognized the faint smirk that had crept onto his face, "the fact that you spent the night with Ouji meant you had to go to the bathhouse."

"What are you talking about - I had to go to the bathhouse? Stop with your bullshit, Miyagawa."

"Well, I imagine you killed Sanda after Ouji fell asleep. Since you likely got blood on you, you had to wash it off. You couldn't go to your room, since you'd run the risk of someone seeing you, so you went to the bathhouse and tried to wash it off. You also couldn't use Ouji's bathroom, since the noise from the bathroom would have woken her up, and you relied on her to provide you with an alibi. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Why you-"

"That's enough, Hatanaka. Please, just stop," I looked at Ouji, who had paled and was gripping her podium to the point where her nails dug into the wood.

"Ouji?" Hatanaka's expression immediately softened at seeing the Ultimate Naturalist so upset. Even when he was being accused of murder, Hatanaka still cared so deeply for Ouji.

"Did you do it? Did you kill her?" Ouji's voice had lowered to bare whisper, but the raw emotion coming from her was deafening. _This must be destroying her._

"No... I d-didn't k-kill her..." Hatanaka stammered.

"You relied on me for an alibi? You fucked me just so you would have an excuse to murder Sanda?" Ouji's tone as she came to the horrifying conclusion made my body flinch and my heart ache.

"No – I didn't murder her! We never found a weapon – what would I have beaten her with? If there's no weapon, there's no way you can pin me as the criminal!"

"What if there was no weapon?" I proposed.

"Huh?"

"I've only just noticed this," I noted, "but at the very start of the trial, when we were talking about Sanda's injuries, Hatanaka folded his arms. He hasn't unfolded them since then. Hatanaka, could you please show us your hands? Specifically, your knuckles." Hatanaka's eyes widened. _So that's what you were hiding, Hatanaka. There was no weapon all along, was there?_

"I don't have to show you shit," Hatanaka protested.

"That's true, but if I'm right," I challenged, "the reason we didn't find a weapon is that there was never one to begin with. Hatanaka himself was the weapon."

"Oh my god... you don't mean..." Yoneda brought his hands to his face and his mouth opened.

"Hatanaka," I said gently, "you beat her with your bare fists, didn't you?" There were several gasps around the room.

"What?" roared Nishi.

"His bare fists?" screeched Uehara.

"I d-don't believe this..." sniffled Mitsumi.

"There's no way you can prove that!" contended Hatanaka desperately.

"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn to the very end, we'll do this the ugly way. Ori," Miyagawa addressed me, "since you found the most evidence, and were at the pool party, do you think you could surmise this case, from start to finish? Prove to us what happened, and let's end this debate."

"Okay. I'm sorry, guys, but we're going to have to relive the case again. Hatanaka, if you're innocent, I'll give you a chance to refute my argument." The Ultimate Construction Worker didn't say a word; he merely looked away and huffed defiantly. "So be it."

\---

"This case began yesterday, after the pool party. Eleven of us had gone to the party; the girls were me, Iowa, Saza, Mina, Uehara, Ouji and Morihei, and the boys that came were Miyagawa, Edward, Tokunaga, and Hatanaka. Our culprit left the bathhouse before the rest of us to spend the night with their alibi – Ouji Bunjiro. Once they had left, the rest of the girls got changed into regular clothes, a fact which would become invaluable in ascertaining the identity of the killer. It's impossible to know when the killer planned their crime, or if it was a decision they made after the party, but they enacted their plan, nonetheless. The culprit went to Ouji's room and the two had a romantic time together. Ouji feel asleep afterwards, but the killer stayed awake and began their plan, leaving Ouji's room and entering Sanda's.

"No doubt Sanda was surprised to have a visitor so late at night, but she barely had time to react to the visitor's arrival before she was pinned to the ground. The killer was larger than Sanda and must have hurt her a lot while she was pinned down, evidenced by the large bruises underneath her shoulders that Ouji discovered. The killer also didn't need to worry about us hearing Sanda screaming, as they knew beforehand that the rooms were soundproof, a piece of testimony they provided themselves. And so, the killer murdered Sanda by hitting her multiple times across the face and head, inflicting copious and horrifying damage to her, a feat the killer was able to accomplish because they are very physically strong. Sanda could not have died instantly, and was likely in unbearable pain until she finally succumbed to her injuries...

"After the killer had finished the first part of their job, they got to work on clean-up. Firstly, they re-positioned Sanda's body to a face-down position – possibly to obscure how she was killed and to imply the use of a weapon. Then, they had to dispose of the blood they were no doubt covered in, but they had to act quickly – if Ouji woke up at all, their plan would be ruined. I also think that this is when they found a bathing suit that matched Iowa's; Sanda didn't come to the pool party, so it's possible she owned the same one, which was both a happy coincidence and a curse for the killer. With the evidence to frame Iowa in hand, they fled the crime scene. However, in their rush, the killer must have forgotten about the blood on their hands and left a bloodstain on the door handle, which was found during the investigation. Now, the killer faced a dilemma; how to remove the blood. They couldn't go to their own room; it was too risky, as they could have been caught by one of us. They couldn't use Ouji's room, as the noise of the shower would have woken her, so they ran to the bathhouse and tried to remove the blood in the pool. Although they were mostly successful, they failed to remove the blood from their hands. The first smudges were left behind when the killer pulled themselves out of the pool.

"The killer then went to the girls' changing room, where they placed one more handprint on the wall by the showers. This was perhaps done, albeit unintentionally, to move suspicion towards a female killer. Then, they dried off the remaining blood with a towel, which they shoved inside Iowa's locker in order to make her seem like the prime suspect. The killer was almost done, but they had one more step to finish before returning to solidify their alibi. They made a brief visit to the laundry room. Once there, they put the bathing suit they took from Sanda's room into Iowa's washing machine and left. Their hope was that all the fake evidence they'd left behind would lead us to reach a false verdict and accuse Iowa of being the murderer. However, the killer made a few mistakes.

"Firstly, they didn't kill the target that was provided to us by Monoworth and Monomenon for Motive Day. Because of this, the killer has been unable to escape the school for free – we still do not know why they decided to kill someone who was not their target. Secondly, they left blood on the door handle in Sanda's room, which allowed us to conclude that Sanda was murdered in her room, and not elsewhere as I had first thought. Finally, they planted too much false evidence, with the bathing suit in particular becoming a vital clue in figuring out who the killer is. As the evidence was too obvious, it moved suspicion away from the very person that the killer was trying to frame. The killer's crime was completed when they returned to Ouji's room; by staying there, they provided themselves with an alibi for the time of Sanda's death. Ouji had fallen asleep in the arms of the killer and woken up the next morning in the same condition, so she assumed the killer had never left, which we now know is no longer the case. This is the truth behind the death of Sanda Heikichi, and the lies of her murderer, Hatanaka Shizue, the Ultimate Construction Worker."

\---

Once I had finished talking, I sighed. _I did my best,_ I told myself, _hopefully that will be enough to convince the others._

"So, Hatanaka," said Miyagawa, "do you object to Ori's conclusions?"

"Of course, I fucking object!" Hatanaka roared.

"Still being stubborn, I see," sighed Miyagawa, who now looked fed up.

"For one, you're saying I pinned her down and then punched her to death. Please, that's ridiculous! I was with Ouji the whole night!"

"We already established that you don't have an airtight alibi because Ouji fell asleep. Also, you still haven't shown us your hands – if you really deny what Ori suggested, you'd have no reason to hide them."

"I was just punching my wall that day. You know, because I'm so angry that we're stuck in here!" Hatanaka was practically spitting by this point. _Was this what was called 'a fall from grace?'_

"But you didn't have any injuries on your hands when we were together," said Ouji, who was now looking at Hatanaka with an odd expression, an expression I could only describe as a twisted combination of hatred and agony.

"Don't tell me you suddenly remembered what my hands look like when I was pegging you last night," growled Hatanaka, "sounds like you're just eager to see me guilty."

"Well, aren't you guilty?" I asked.

"Fuck! No! I didn't kill the bitch!"

"Dude, she's dead, don't curse the deceased. Geez, this desperation is uncomfortable to watch," groaned Morihei.

"Desperation? You guys literally have no proof that I'm the killer except a theory that my hands might show signs that I killed her!" Although Hatanaka's tenacity proved to be strong, I could hear the panic rising in his voice. He knew he was losing the argument.

"Okay, I suppose we do have one unanswered question remaining," said Morino.

"Oh, please, aren't we done here?" cried Morihei.

"Almost, I think we know who the culprit is, but we may as well humour it. We have forgotten one detail about Sanda's body; the bloody fingertips on her right hand."

"That's true," pondered Tokunaga, "we didn't finish the discussion about that. What do we think?" I went quiet, conjuring up any ideas as to how Sanda got blood there. Then it hit me – _we've been assuming that the bloody fingertips were an inflicted injury. What if they weren't?_

"Let's suppose," I began, "that Sanda's fingers didn't get bloody because of the attack. What if she's the reason they're like that?"

"Please don't be so cryptic, Ori, you're hurting my head," complained Mina.

"I'm sorry. What I want to say is... let's imagine we're Sanda during the attack. We've been pinned under Hata... someone, and we can't operate our legs, but we need to escape. What would be our natural reaction?"

"Break free, or attack the person pinning us down to try and move freely again. Why is this relevant?" asked Saza.

"Well, what if Sanda was doing exactly that? Could she have gotten blood on her fingertips by attacking her assailant?" In the corner of my eye, I saw Hatanaka shift nervously.

"That seems fairly plausible," admitted Yoneda.

"Does that mean that the killer could have injuries? Like scratches, for example?" asked Nishi.

"If Sanda was able to draw blood, then absolutely. By my estimations, the injuries would be somewhere on her assailant's left leg. How about it, Hatanaka? If you're really not the culprit, then you'll have no problem in showing us your leg, right? Then we'll-"

"Enough. You win, Ori." Hatanaka slumped over and bowed his head. His arms fell to his side and I saw red marks across his knuckles.

"Hatanaka, your hands..." whispered Ouji.

"She's right. Everything Ori said was right," Hatanaka's voice was trembling; all the emotions he no doubt bottled after he killed Sanda were surfacing.

"So, you finally admit it?" asked Edward. Hatanaka nodded, then reached for his shorts and pulled them up, showing several, bright red scratch marks that covered his upper thigh.

"There's your final piece of proof. I'm sorry, guys, I killed her. I killed Sanda."

"It's finally over..." breathed Morihei.

"But why, Hatanaka? Why did you kill her?" cried Mina.

"And why Sanda specifically? Did you not know who your Motive Day target was?" urged Morino. Hatanaka, despite everything, smiled.

"Do you guys not understand? Of course, I knew who my Motive Day target was – that's why I didn't kill them."

"I r-really d-don't understand," whimpered Mitsumi.

"My original plan was to kill my Motive Day target, but that person ended up being the only person that I probably wouldn't have been able to bring myself to kill. Ouji." Hatanaka turned to her slowly, and she burst into tears. The sound of her crying echoed around the room as the realisation of the effect she had had on the trial came crashing down on her. For several minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were Ouji's cries.

"But why kill at all then? You must have known that you were running the risk of being caught if you killed someone other than your target?" pressed Morino.

"That's true, but I didn't mind," admitted Hatanaka. _What does he mean, he doesn't mind dying?_

"You don't care about dying? Uehara doesn't understand..."

"Then I will explain. By killing Sanda, I was prepared for two scenarios. You guys would either figure out I had done the crime, or you wouldn't. If I won the killing game, I would have been able to go home to my family. If I had lost, then that meant I would buy you guys some more time to escape. I was so angry when you all decided to give up and just accept your deaths. There is so much to live for, so much to hope for, and you were all ready to throw that away. By killing Sanda and sacrificing myself, I effectively saved you guys. For me, there was no losing option."

"Hatanaka... you really did that for us?" Edward looked conflicted, and I felt the same way. Yes, I was angry. Angry that Hatanaka had done what he'd done, but there was a small part of me that felt bad for being so angry after hearing that he had done it to save us. But then...

"That was a pretty convincing lie, but I'm not buying it, Hatanaka," said Miyagawa, whose face betrayed a misgiving.

"Lying? What are you talking about?" asked Hatanaka.

"Remember what I said about my talent on the very first day?" asked Miyagawa. "I can read people pretty well, and I'm especially good at picking up when people are lying badly."

"Miyagawa..." I started, but he ignored me.

"You lied just now. You didn't do this for us. I don't believe that for one second – if you were willing to sacrifice yourself for us, then why was Sanda's death a necessity? If you really cared about saving us, then killing yourself would have been better," Miyagawa had raised his voice now. "You were fully intending to sacrifice both Sanda and Iowa for your chance to escape – you were never thinking about us. You even used Ouji to buy yourself an alibi. Three girls have suffered deeply, one with their life, because of your greed, Hatanaka, so don't tell us you did it for us because that's bullshit!" For a moment nobody said anything. Miyagawa, whose outburst had left him flustered, had clenched his fists and was staring at Hatanaka vehemently.

"I never did like you, Miyagawa," said Hatanaka finally. "You and Ori do make a good couple, if only for how insufferably painful you were in this trial for me."

"I am so confused..." Mina looked dizzy; the constant mood shifts of the group had obviously meddled with her thoughts.

"I have nothing more to say to any of you. Oi, Monoworth!" The headmaster jumped in his chair at being spoken to so tersely. "What happens at the end of the class trial?"

"Why, that would be the vote, of course!" he cheered. "Have we reached the end of the trial? I dozed off while you were talking about bathing suits."

"Stop with your stupid fucking jokes," commanded Hatanaka, and even Monoworth seemed to flinch at the rhetoric. "Let's get it over and done with..."

"You're the boss!" cried Monomenon. "Well, actually, no you're not. Oh well! Students, listen closely! A button is about to appear on your Seiko-pads which will allow you to vote for the classmate who you think the killer is! Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"

"You still haven't' changed that line after one hundred killing games?" asked Monoworth.

"Don't need to, it's what we call a catchphrase," giggled Monomenon, "it's voting time!" Sure enough, my tablet lit up and sixteen blocks appeared on its screen, each with the name of a different student on it. Sanda's had been greyed out all since she was no longer with us. Without much hesitation, I pressed the button that read 'Hatanaka Shizue' and exhaled deeply, waiting for the result.

\---

"Okay, looks like everyone has finally voted!" cheered Monomenon, "let's see here..."

"What are you doing?" asked Yoneda.

"I've got to the count the votes, stupid head. Let's see... one, two, three, four... ten, eleven, twelve... what comes after twelve... twenty-two. Okay! The results are in!" I held my breath – even though we knew Hatanaka was the culprit, I was still deathly nervous.

"Congratulations, students," praised Monoworth, "you voted correctly. The culprit in this case, and the murderer of Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger, is Hatanaka Shizue, the Ultimate Construction Worker!" Nobody knew what to say. On one hand, we were glad we survived the ordeal and had avoided execution, but at what cost? We had lost Sanda, and if Monomenon was going to keep his promise, then we were about to lose Hatanaka as well.

"This isn't fair..." sniffled Ouji, "it hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much...?"

"Ouji..." whispered Hatanaka, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't talk!" she suddenly screeched, "how dare you! You used me, you bastard! And if that wasn't enough, you killed Sanda and tried to frame Iowa! Did we really mean that little to you? Did _I_ really mean that little to you?"

"I said I was sor-" stuttered Hatanaka.

"I hate you. I hate, hate, hate you!" the strain in Ouji's voice as she wept brought me close to tears. I couldn't possibly hope to conceive how she was feeling. Then, she unexpectedly jumped from her podium, ran at Hatanaka at full speed and started thumping his chest as hard as she could with her clenched fists.

"Ouji! Stop!" cried Saza, but it was no use. In that moment, it was only Ouji and Hatanaka in the room.

"Hate. Hate. Hate... hate..." eventually Ouji's voice died down and was replace by uncontrollable sobbing and she fell to her knees. Hatanaka smiled sadly, knelt down and put his hands on her shaking shoulders.

"Ouji, I will never be able to tell you how truly sorry I am for using you," he said, and this time I could tell he meant it. "But you need to be able to move on from this – I am confident you can all escape after this. Trust in each other, and most importantly, have hope. Although you guys think I'm selfish, and you're right, two deaths compared to sixteen is better in my books. I don't regret what I did, and you are free to hate me, but stop giving up on life." He stood up and turned to Monoworth and nodded.

"Am I to understand that you're ready to accept your punishment, Mr Shizue?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Very well. Monomenon, I leave him to you." Both bears hopped down from their respective thrones. There was a loud, mechanical, clunking sound and then the thrones began to slowly sink into the floor, to reveal a door hidden behind them. Above the door was a sign that read 'Execution Room', and my heart began to pound. They were really going to go through with it. Had we really sent one of our friends to be executed?

"Now then," cheered Monomenon, "I've prepared a very special punishment for Hatanaka Shizue, the Ultimate Construction Worker. Come on, big guy, let's get a move on. Oh, and don't try any funny business like attacking me, because I will just execute you on the spot in front of all your friends."

"There'll be no need for that," Hatanaka had turned away from us, his voice solemn. "Goodbye, everyone." That was all he said before he was led to the execution room by Monomenon. As his tall, bulky frame disappeared behind the doors, Ouji let out a pained howl and screamed his name.

"It's not over yet students," remarked Monoworth. There was another mechanical sound, a whirring, and a large plasma screen was lowered from the ceiling. _What's going on,_ I thought.

"What's the screen for?" asked Morino suspiciously.

"I don't want my students to miss out on a single moment of the Seiko Academy experience, so we're going to watch the execution together! Won't that be fun?"

"You can't be serious," I shouted.

"Oh, I am very serious about your education! By showing you the execution, you will hopefully learn what true despair looks like," Monoworth's red eye began to glow and the screen turned on.

"I don't want to watch," cried Mina. I beckoned her over to my podium and she buried her face into my chest, tightly shutting her eyes. Although I could protect Mina from witnessing what was on the screen, I couldn't tear my own eyes away.

It was Hatanaka on the screen. He was stood inside what looked like a large glass box; I estimated it was about twelve feet tall. For a while, Hatanaka was just stood there, a confused expression on his face. _Where was Monomenon,_ I wondered. Without warning, a loud siren started blaring. On the screen, Hatanaka looked around him but couldn't find the source of the noise. Then it stopped. That's when the execution began.

A large, beige-grey ball of... _something_, fell from somewhere off-screen and into the glass box, bursting to leave a splattered mess besides Hatanaka. He knelt down to inspect it. He seemed to recognise the liquid, but the look of bafflement didn't leave his face. Then, more of the beige liquid fell into the cage, but there was more of it this time and it was falling faster, as if it were being poured. Within a matter of seconds, the entire floor of the box was covered in it and it slowly began to rise as the unknown liquid kept on falling.

"Oh my god..." said Miyagawa. I tore my eyes away from the screen to look at him. He was panicked, his mouth was open, and his face had gone completely white. "That's cement! They're going to bury him in cement! Hatanaka! Get out of there!" As if he had heard Miyagawa's shout, a realisation dawned on Hatanaka's face and he started to claw at the glass, trying to see if he could climb the box, but it was too high. I clutched Mina more tightly, feeling her tears wet my t-shirt as she struggled to control her weeping.

"Punch the glass! Break the glass, Hatanaka!" screeched Ouji, who was still on the floor. But Hatanaka couldn't hear us, and so he kept trying to unsuccessfully climb the box. Eventually, he resorted to brute strength and began punching the glass structure with all his might, but the cement had already risen to his waist. The box showed no signs of giving in to his assault, despite how physically strong Hatanaka was.

"Hatanaka! No!" I heard myself scream, but I wasn't thinking. All I could do was watch in ineffable horror as Hatanaka slowly disappeared beneath the cement, the sounds of his fists becoming duller and less frequent. Then they stopped altogether, and the cement stopped falling. The box had been completely filled, and Hatanaka showed no signs of movement from within. If he hadn't already suffocated, the weight of the cement would likely crush him. He was gone.

Then the screen faded to black.


	11. Aftermath

“Goodness me! Wasn’t that thrilling?” exclaimed Monoworth in joy. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t speak, and all the air fled from my lunges as soon as the screen turned off. I clutched onto Mina, who was still sobbing quietly into my clothes, and looked at the others. Everyone was in a similar state, voiceless and wide-eyed. Even Edward, Morino and Morihei, who were always able to keep their cool, had paled considerably after witnessing Hatanaka’s execution.

“Hatanaka…” whimpered Ouji, who had now stood up, her legs shaking, “you idiot. You stupid idiot. Why did this have to happen…?”

“What do you mean?” asked Monomenon, who had just re-entered the room. “You were the ones who sent him to his death. It’s your fault.”

“How is it our fault?” demanded Ouji furiously.

“You guys were _ so _ ready to give up and just let me execute you. But as soon as Hatanaka killed Sanda, you guys went back on your word and suddenly decided that killing Hatanaka was the right decision to make. You valued your own lives more than Hatanaka’s – so really, you were all lying when you said you were ready to accept your deaths,” retorted Monomenon matter-of-factly.

“There was no right decision,” I said, “you knew that. You knew one of us would commit murder, and you knew we would choose to execute them.”

“This is a killing game of your devising,” added Edward, “you didn’t give us a choice to participate, and if we disobey you, we die. Don’t tell us we have choices, when you didn’t give us any.”

“Actually, you could have elected to not attend the Academy at all, Mr. Lionheart,” interrupted Monoworth.

“Shut up! Everyone shut up!” screamed Ouji. We were all silent and looked at her. Tears were still streaming down her face and her eyes were frenzied.

“Oh, I’m so scared of Miss Big Tits,” cried Monomenon in mock dread, “what will she do? Crush me under her enormous bosom? You must be filled with despair after losing Hatanaka, right? Especially after he fucked you just to make sure he had an alibi for his crime! That’s never happened in the killing game before, you should be honoured!”

“Why you… bastard…” growled Ouji, enraged. She made for Monomenon; arms outstretched to grab the bear.

“No, Ouji,” I shouted, “you know if you attack them, you’ll die!” My words had barely left my mouth when a blur passed in front of me. I almost didn’t recognise Morihei as she moved at lightning speed, grabbed Ouji and held her in an inescapable grip.

“Morihei, let me go!”

“I’m not letting you throw your life away. That robot isn’t worth it, Ouji,” said Morihei through gritted teeth as she held onto Ouji, before looking at the bears. “I suggest that you two leave, because you are in trouble if I decide to release her.” Monomenon simply shrugged at the threat.

“You guys can try to destroy us, but I’ll kill you before you kill me. And I’ve taught my fighting techniques to Monoworth, so even he could put up a fight against you all with ease.”

“I do so hate involving myself in the action, I prefer the administrative side of the game,” said Monoworth sadly.

“Well, if we’re not wanted here, then I suppose it’s best that we leave in any case, Monoworth,” said Monomenon, and was pulled through the ceiling by his claw.

“Very well. Students, in order to leave the trial hall, please go back into the elevator, which will automatically return you to the first floor after an execution. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” Monoworth, like his assistant, disappeared into the ceiling, leaving us all alone. As soon as they were both gone, Morihei let go of Ouji, who hugged the Ultimate Coleopterist.

“It’s not fair, Morihei,” she cried, “why did he kill Sanda? Why did they both have to die? We had all made an agreement.” Morihei was silent, and simply put her arms back around Ouji, but this time Ouji didn’t resist.

\---

The elevator doors closed behind us as we returned to the first floor. The descent from the fifth floor had been quiet, save for the weeping of a few of us who were still raw from the loss. _How much time had passed since we had discovered Sanda’s body this morning?_ Since there were no windows, I couldn’t tell if it was night or day, or if the sun was shining, or if there was rain. I suddenly felt a longing to be outside. Did Hatanaka also have that longing, and that’s why he killed Sanda? Before he was executed, Hatanaka had said that he had killed to save us, to buy us more time – but had he really been trying to be selfless? Or had he just been acting for his own benefit? To save himself? To survive? My reflection was disrupted by Saza, who had walked over to Iowa. Iowa was deliberately avoiding her friend’s gaze, anxiously toeing the carpet. For a while, neither of them uttered a word, but eventually Saza caved into the nervous atmosphere.

“Iowa? I’m sorry… really sorry… I jumped to the wrong conclusion too quickly. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have accused you before we had discussed everything, and I was so horrible to you. It’s okay, you know, if you don’t want to be my friend anym-”

“Stop talking,” Iowa’s tone startled Saza. Then something unexpected happened. Iowa jumped at Saza and wrapped her in a tight embrace, which was quickly returned in equal fervour.

“I… don’t understand…”

“It’s fine, Saza. You were just being a good friend to Sanda. We all wanted to find the culprit,” Iowa patted Saza’s shoulder affectionately. I had to admire how calm and forgiving she was being. I did not know if I would have reacted that way. To be accused of murdering a friend and then embracing your accuser… I didn’t have the trust for that.

“Nishi told you not to let your emotions get in your way, but it’s perfectly understandable that you weren’t able to,” continued Iowa, “I only ask you have more faith in me in future, okay?”

“Okay,” Saza sniffled, “I promise to be a better friend. Thank you, Iowa.” The Ultimate Chocolatier giggled.

“Ouji, how are you holding up over there?” Nishi was looking at Ouji with a solemn expression. She looked up with her dried, puffy eyes; she had no tears left to cry. She was spent. It was a bizarre feeling to see someone who had completely expended their energy in pain, and not know how to process the same loss.

“I feel awful, honestly. I cannot describe how awful I feel. I’m going to my room; I want to be by myself.” Nishi nodded, and moved to let her pass.

“Before you go, Ouji,” said Morino quietly, “could you come to my room later? There’s something important I’d like to discuss with you.” Ouji frowned in puzzlement that Morino of all people was asking this of her, but she agreed and walked away. Morino then turned to Yoneda and cocked an eyebrow. Yoneda cleared his throat and we all looked at him.

“I guess now is as good as any opportunity to bring this up, but I solved the code that Ori found,” he said nervously.

“You did? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” exclaimed Mina. I flinched.

“Because Ori, Saza and Morihei had gone looking for Sanda, remember?” replied Morino flatly, glaring at Mina’s lack of consideration. She squealed and hid behind me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Anyway,” continued Yoneda, “the code wasn’t particularly difficult to solve in the end. All I had to do was reverse the order of the letters but keep the spaces and punctuation in the original message.

“So, what does it say?” I pressed, but Yoneda grimaced.

“The deciphered message doesn’t really make much sense. I just wish I had solved it before Hatanaka…” not finishing his sentence, Yoneda opted to fish a piece of paper from his pocket and hand it to me. I read the words written on it and felt my intrigue grow into bewilderment.

_ THE BLADES OF DESPAIR HIDE AMONG US. DO NOT PLAY THE GAME. DO NOT KILL YOUR CLASSMATES. THERE IS NO HOPE. _

“What does it say, Ori?” asked Uehara. I read aloud the note to the others, and they all reacted in a similar, baffled manner.

“What are the Blades of Despair?” asked Morihei.

“Uehara thinks they might be a powerful weapon hidden within the school’s dungeon!” exclaimed Uehara.

“That has an almost zero chance of being correct,” muttered Morihei.

“The part that worries me is the part about them hiding among us – what does that mean, exactly?” I wondered aloud. The others murmured in agreed uncertainty.

“Perhaps they mean that there are some hidden knives in the school that are the key to something?” suggested Saza.

“Maybe, but what if these Blades of Despair aren’t actually swords?” I offered.

“What do you know?” demanded Morino. I was taken aback by his abruptness; I guessed he hadn’t thought of what I had yet.

“Well, it says in the note they hide among us – maybe they’re not swords, but people. However, I’ve never heard of a group like that…”

“I’ve also never heard of them,” added Edward, “I know a lot of secret organisations, but never one with such a… pantomimic name.”

“This note was also written by someone who killed eight people,” reminded Nishi, “so we should be cautious with how much we trust it. Someone that crazed is not dependable.”

“You’re r-right, Nishi,” said Mitsumi, “b-but I still think it’s g-great that Y-Yoneda was able to s-solve the c-code.”

“Yes! Great work, Yoneda! Thank you so much for this,” agreed Tokunaga. Yoneda spluttered in response and his face immediately reddened brightly.

“It was nothing,” he said shyly, “but maybe it would be better to discuss this tomorrow, once we’ve all rested.”

“I must admit, I’m really tired,” agreed Morihei, “and I think I’ll check on Ouji before I go to sleep.” We thanked Morihei and she bid us all goodnight.

“I think I’m also going to try and get some shuteye,” yawned Nishi. “You want to stay in my room again, Mitsumi?” Nishi’s cheeks went a little pink as he asked the question, but Mitsumi didn’t seem to notice and nodded happily. Nishi started striding away, Mitsumi trotting behind him quickly to keep up. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to meet Morino’s unreadable gaze.

“Can you come with me? Saza, you too.” Saza and I exchanged concerned looks. What need did Morino have for us both? Not waiting for a reply, Morino began to walk away and I felt my feet follow him. I looked behind to see Saza doing the same and, behind her, Miyagawa, who was scowling so fiercely at Morino’s retreating back that I thought he might catch fire. We quickly found ourselves not at the door to Morino’s room, but to one of the classrooms.

“I don’t really think inviting two girls into my room would have been the wisest decision,” Morino explained, as if he had read our minds. “Especially since that would have angered Nishi and Miyagawa.”

“Why would Miyagawa be angry that I came here?” I asked.

“How did you know that I was talking about you, and not Saza?” he retorted with a slight smirk. _ Damn _, I thought, _ he got me_.

“Why did you bring us here, then?” asked Saza.

“I have something to show you both, and Ouji too,” Morino replied, his tone becoming very serious. “It’s a piece of evidence that I didn’t present in the trial.”

“What?” I almost shouted.

“You were withholding evidence? Morino, why would you do something like that?” cried Saza.

“I had multiple reasons. Please, let me explain,” Morino pleaded, so Saza and I nodded, and we entered the classroom. Morino instructed us to move four desks and chairs together so we could all sit together, the fourth party being Ouji. In the meantime, Morino went to his room and fetch the evidence and Ouji. A few moments later, the four of us were sat closely to each other in the classroom. Morino was holding a small case in his hands. What had he found, and why had he hidden it? As if to answer my thoughts, Morino began to speak.

“Thank you for agreeing to come,” he began, “given the circumstances, I’m surprised you would even give me the time of day. But let’s not waste any time; I brought you here because, as I’ve already told you, I found evidence that I didn’t present during the trial. I’m sorry for lying to you all but allow me to explain why. Firstly, the evidence I found revealed to me who Sanda’s killer was.”

“Hold on,” I cut in, “you mean to tell me you knew that Hatanaka was the killer the whole trial?” He nodded, and I reached over to slap him, but Ouji beat me to it.

“How dare you keep that from us!” she screeched. Morino didn’t react but rubbed his cheek which had already reddened from the strike.

“I said I had my reasons, Ouji,” he said, “so listen to me, please.”

“What reason could you possibly have for hiding it?” I asked doubtfully.

“We have to think long-term,” began Morino, “because those bears will likely present another motive for us to murder each other. If that happens, and one of us does commit murder once again, then we have to be used to doing a trial from beginning to end. If I had just presented this at the beginning at the trial, we wouldn’t have any clue how to solve a murder case – this would not have been possible if I had just revealed that I knew Hatanaka was the killer.”

“No one else is going to commit a murder though,” insisted Saza.

“I hope so, but I’m also aware that whoever is behind this killing game will stop at nothing to initiate another killing… that’s why I reserved this until after the trial." He put the small case he had brought with him on the desk. About the size of a book, the case was made of a black leather, and was surprisingly heavy when I picked it up to examine it. Handing it back to Morino, he opened it to reveal its contents; a single video camera.

“Where did you find this?” I asked.

“It was in Sanda’s room, hidden among her suitcases. It was recording when I found it, and it seems she had set it to record since she got here.”

“But why would she feel the need to do that?” the question came from Saza.

“Well, she was the Ultimate Vlogger – perhaps she wanted to capture every moment of her school life,” Ouji suggested.

“I think there’s more to it than that,” said Morino, “I watched some of the footage, but not much since I had to hide the fact that I’d found the camera from Hatanaka, who was in the room at the time. It seems the Sanda we knew wasn’t the real her.”

“What?”

“Don’t ask me. Here, let’s watch some of it – I imagine we will learn more by doing that.” With that, he pressed a button. The video camera’s screen flashed white, signalling it had been turned on. Morino then pressed another button, and then some footage began to play. We all gathered around the screen to watch.


	12. Beyond the Lens

“Hey guys,” the face that appeared on the screen was Sanda’s, but the difference in demeanour was immediately apparent. _She was smiling._ She had a beautiful smile, filled with neat, white teeth; what was even more shocking was that the smile seemed genuine. “Super Sanda Heikichi, now the Ultimate Vlogger, is recording live from _ inside _ Seiko Academy! Can you believe it? I’m going to get some exclusive clips for you guys, so we can experience the school together! If you’re excited, let me know in the comments – though I don’t know when I’ll be able to upload these videos…” Morino paused the footage, and I looked up at him.

“This is what I meant by the real Sanda,” he said, “it seems she was putting on a front when she was around us, and this was her true self.”

“But why would she hide this side of her?” Saza questioned. Morino shrugged.

“I can’t say, we never got to know her well enough to find out. But there are more clips that I wanted to show you three,” said Morino. Without waiting for a reply, he pressed the fast forward button on the camera until he was satisfied. He then turned the camera back to us, and once again we watched as the Sanda we hadn’t known appeared once again.

“So, I met all my new classmates today! Talk about Ultimate Students! What a wacky and unique bunch they are! Let’s see, there’s…” one by one, she listed off each of our names and talked a little bit about each of us. Sanda was talking with such emotional aplomb, and her eyes were so intensely focused on the camera that it felt like she was really talking to me, though I knew it was impossible. I found myself shivering at the memory of discovering her body just earlier today.

“I can’t believe this was really her,” I whispered, but Morino gestured for me to be silent and focus on watching. I reluctantly complied and refocused to Sanda’s recording. She was talking about Ouji.

“She’s the Ultimate Naturalist,” she was saying, “and she’s _ so _ flirtatious, but she totally has the hots for this guy called Hatanaka. I think he’s meant to be the Ultimate Construction Worker or something, but he could have fooled me if he had told me that he was the Ultimate Hunk!” I looked up at Ouji, whose teary gaze was fixated on the screen. I couldn’t possibly have hoped to understand how she was feeling. She had had an instant connection with Hatanaka, and no doubt she had been wondering over and over if Hatanaka had really ever felt the same way, or if it had all been a lie just so he could get away with murder. I told myself that Hatanaka really did like her; that’s why he didn’t kill Ouji, who was his target for Motive Day. Besides, the two hit it off before we were even introduced to the killing game, so Hatanaka must have regretted using Ouji the way he did. I just couldn’t find it within myself to forgive him. Not yet.

“Listen, I’ve got an exclusive scoop on that mystery sixteenth student that the news teams couldn’t find!” I began to watch to Sanda again, who had now started talking about me. “Her name is Orito Asaji; she’s really nice and really pretty! But get this! Her Ultimate Talent is extreme luck- sometimes she is really lucky, and sometimes it’s the opposite. I hope Ori doesn’t get into too much trouble because of her talent, she seems like a really good person to be friends with…” Morino once again paused the video and silently went to the next part. As we waited for him, Ouji wiped her eyes.

“Sanda wanted to be our friend?” she whispered.

“I guess she did,” conceded Saza, “but I don’t get why she acted so coldly if all she wanted was to be part of the group.”

“We shouldn’t ask ourselves these sorts of questions,” hummed Morino, who was still concentrating on the camera, “because the person we should be asking isn’t here anymore. If we worry ourselves with what could have been, instead of what we have left, we can’t move forward.”

“I agree with Morino,” I said, “I know we didn’t get to properly say goodbye to Sanda, but it would be a better memorial if we fight to survive than count our losses.” I looked at Morino with a smile, but he didn’t return it. He simply put the camera back down on the desk, and we all turned to the screen again.

\---

“Hello guys…” the Sanda that greeted us was crestfallen and… crying? “Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger, has returned with an update about Seiko Academy. I need to get out of here!” She screeched the last part, making Ouji, Saza and I jump in our seats. “I need to escape – get me out of here! If anyone finds this tape, listen to me! Do not allow any students inside Seiko Academy! We’re all trapped inside, with no way out! There were these two creepy robots dressed like bears, and they talked! Talked! And they told us this; to get out of the school, we have to kill someone else! What kind of sick, twisted game is this school? Help me… someone… please…”

\---

“It’s me again… Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger… I don’t know if it’s day or night anymore. I feel sick, I’m not eating properly, even though Iowa and Saza prepare us nice food every mealtime. I just don’t have my appetite. Today, things got even worse. Those robot bears came back and gave us a motive for us to kill one of the other students. They say we have three days to assassinate a specific person… they told me that I have to kill Iowa. I can’t do it… I couldn’t kill someone. So, we unanimously decided to greet death together. I’m terrified… guys… I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to kill anyone. I hope everyone else can keep the promise…”

\---

“Today was a lot better than yesterday; Hatanaka and Ouji are organising a pool party for everyone. I know they’re just trying to distract us from the fact that we have a time limit on our lives. I’m just too upset to go. Besides, I only have one bathing suit, and it’s this horrible green one,” I audibly gasped as Sanda held up the same bathing suit that Miyagawa had found during the investigation. The bathing suit that Hatanaka had used in an attempt to frame Iowa for killing the girl I was watching. Iowa and Sanda had really owned the same bathing suit, and Hatanaka had exploited this to try and escape the academy… There was no doubt in my mind anymore, I could not forgive Hatanaka. I no longer cared he was dead; as far as I was concerned, the group was better off without a murderer in our midst. I only wished we hadn’t lost Sanda as a result…

“He really tried to frame Iowa…” whispered Saza.

“I must warn you,” cautioned Morino, “that the next part that I want to show you will be hard to watch. I will not blame you if you close your eyes, cover your ears, or even leave the room.”

“You don’t mean to say Sanda recorded her murder?” I cried.

“Not intentionally,” replied Morino, “I doubt very much that Sanda knew she was going to become a victim in a murder case. But her camera was on when Hatanaka did kill her, and it captured the moment the deed was done. Hatanaka fortunately didn’t see the camera, likely because he was in a rush to frame Iowa and solidify his alibi with…” He averted his eyes away from Ouji at the last part, but she seemed unfazed despite the look of concern on her face.

“If you knew he was the killer, I still think you should have said so at the beginning,” said Saza, “that would have saved my embarrassment in front of Iowa.” Morino shook his head.

“We can’t be concerned with our individual selves in a group game of life and death. Our lives are dependent on universal cooperation, and Monoworth and Monomenon want to break that cooperation. That’s why they gave us a motive; that’s how they broke Hatanaka’s resolve. Hatanaka made the mistake of thinking his life was more important than the rest of us combined, and that drove him to murder. But his emotional conflict stopped him from committing the easy murder, the murder that would have allowed him to guarantee his escape. As I said before, no doubt the bears are already preparing another motive. If there is another murder, we have to be prepared for cases where the identity of the killer has not been, albeit unintentionally, readily recorded, like this one was. That’s why I didn’t reveal my discovery during the trial; I wanted to see if we were capable of solving the case without my evidence. Thanks to mainly Ori’s deductions, we were able to do just that.” The three of them looked at me, and I felt the heat rise to my face.

“That’s right, Ori, you did solve a lot of that case,” noted Saza, “how were you able to do that?” I shrugged.

“Luck.” In the corner of my eye, I saw the corners of Morino’s mouth turn slightly.

“I want to watch it,” said Ouji suddenly.

“Ouji, are you sure?” asked a concerned Saza. “it’s not exactly going to be easy.”

“I still haven’t fully come to terms with what’s happened today,” Ouji said quietly in response, “so I need to see it for myself. Please, Morino, play the clip. I can handle it.”

“Okay,” said Saza begrudgingly and gestured for Morino to start the recording, which he did without hesitation. I gulped. _Was I ready to watch this? To see my friend murdered?_ I tried to convince myself to run, to get out of the room, but my mind and eyes were completely glued to the screen, as they had been when I watched Hatanaka’s clawing fingers disappear under the crushing weight of cement. I shivered, but then there was a noise from the video camera.

\---

_ Rappapa. Rappapa. _

“Huh? Who’s there?” I watched as Sanda sat up in her bed, having been disturbed by a knocking at her door. It was like watching a horror movie, but I knew the gruesome end before it happened. A warning shout surfaced in my throat, begging Sanda not to answer the door, but I knew it was futile. I could not protect Sanda from who was standing on the other side of that door, nor from her imminent demise at the hands of that person. I could only watch in despair as Sanda walked over to the door and opened it, revealing the large frame of Hatanaka, who was only dressed in his underwear. _ He must have already finished with Ouji,_ I thought. I saw Ouji stiffen at the sight of the sight of him.

“Hatanaka? What are you doing here? And why are you only wearing underwear?” Sanda asked, confused.

“Can I come in? I have something important to ask you…” his voice was emotionless, as was his face. _Was this the expression a person wore when they had convinced themselves to commit murder_? Blank, void of remorse, void of pain, void of fear. Next to me, Saza had brought both of her hands to her face, and I anxiously placed my own hand on her knee, giving her a weak but affirming look. She took my hand in hers and gripped it tightly as she fought back tears.

“A question?” Sanda’s voice asked. She stood to one side to allow the almost-nude Hatanaka inside the room. “It better be a good question for you to turn up here, uninvited, with almost no clothing.”

“It is. My question is: could you forgive someone who had done something so terrible that you question whether you knew the person at all?”

“That’s what you wanted to ask me? What an odd question… why are you asking me?”

“Maybe I should rephrase…” Hatanaka paused, and I saw his fists clench. _ Oh my god. _

“Rephrase?”

“Will you forgive me for doing something terrible to you?” I saw a look of horror swiftly descend over Sanda’s face.

“Hatanaka… what are you… stay back…” Sanda didn’t have time to finish before Hatanaka’s fist connected with her chin, making a sickening crunching sound. She cried out in pain and fell to the floor. In an instant, Hatanaka had leapt onto her, pinning her to the ground. In my head, an image of the bruises Ouji found in her autopsy flashed. I shuddered. Another crunch echoed from the screen, and I forced myself to once again look at the screen and almost threw up. Hatanaka was mercilessly throwing his fists at Sanda’s head with full force. I will never be able find the words to describe the look on his face as he delivered each blow; it was like a controlled frenzy, but he was not in control. He acted as though an invisible force had taken hold of his arms and moved them for him. Underneath him, Sanda tried to scream for help and desperately clawed at his body, trying to inflict harm to get her assailant to recoil away, but all she managed were raw, red scratches. Another flash in my head and I thought back to the conclusion of the trial, where Hatanaka had revealed to us the condition of his leg as he confessed to his crime. Another flash, and I saw Sanda’s beaten and bruised face – black, blue and red from the damage brutally inflicted upon her. On the video, Sanda’s scratching hands became slower and feebler, and I couldn’t help but draw a parallel between victim and murderer; in their dying moments, they had both been clawing to escape until their death. However, for both of them, death had been unpreventable. Soon, Sanda’s arms fell to the ground and she stopped fighting. Then, she stopped moving altogether. Eventually, Hatanaka’s assault ended, and the only sound in the room were his heavy breaths.

“It’s over… it’s done…” I heard him mutter. His eyes betrayed a violent panic. “My god, what have I done?” He jumped away from Sanda, who now lay dead on the floor, a small pool of blood flowing from the side of her head, seeping into the carpet. “I have to get out of here… yeah, I can escape… I just have to find a way…” His eyes looked at something off-screen and grabbed it from Sanda’s bed. Her bathing suit. He then looked over himself, noticing finally the blood splattered across his midriff, legs and hands. He knelt down by Sanda and turned her body over, bathing suit still in hand. Without saying another word, Hatanaka bolted out of the room, leaving the bloodstain that Morino had found on the door handle. Morino picked up the camera and turned it off.

“After that, it’s just us discovering her body and then me finding the camera,” he said quietly.

“Fucking hell…” murmured Saza.

“Sanda…”

“I’m sorry,” said Morino.

“No, thank you for showing me that,” said Ouji firmly. I was expecting her to be sobbing, but she instead looked at peace. “I needed to see it. Even when Hatanaka confessed, even when I saw him executed, I had convinced myself of a lie. I believed that we had made a terrible mistake, that we had wrongly sentenced him to death. But the truth is now undeniable. He was a murderer, and I was nothing more than an alibi.”

“Ouji, I don’t think-”

“No. We all just watched him kill her,” I could hear her choking up, but she was forcing herself to not cry over a man who had treated her so abhorrently. “There’s nothing more to say. I think we should all go and rest.”

“One thing, before we head our separate ways,” said Morino, standing up, “I think it would be best if this evidence is kept a secret between us. I imagine the group’s mood and trust of each other will be very low tomorrow. Informing them of this will only cause more friction.” We all agreed to Morino’s proposition and left the classroom silently.

Once I had returned to my room, I was suddenly overcome by a wave of fatigue – _just how long had it been since we had discovered Sanda’s body?_ I yawned loudly. It didn’t matter, I had to face another day. I had to be strong, because another challenge faced our group tomorrow. Monoworth had said after the trial that he would be in touch – what more could they throw at us? As I slowly succumbed to a sleep plagued with nightmares, the sound of Sanda’s scream resonated in my ears, and for the first time that day, I wept.


	13. Tetralogy of Despair

When I woke up the next morning, my whole body felt heavy and my face was raw. It took me a few moments to realise that my tears had soaked into my skin overnight and had made my cheeks and under-eyes red and puffy. I sighed and sat up in my bed, stretching my arms and back. I had had the worst sleep ever; all I saw when I had closed my eyes were the faces of Sanda of Hatanaka. I was sure that I was not the only one who had become a victim to nightmares that night, but I decided not to dwell on dreams too much. Now, I had to face the rest of my group knowing that there would be two empty seats in the cafeteria. I forced myself out of my bed, showered, and got dressed in my usual grey attire before heading to the cafeteria.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa was already in the kitchen preparing food, but she quickly shooed me out when she noticed me stood in the doorway. Not wanting to sit in the cafeteria by myself, I sent some messages to the others to see if anyone else was awake and received some groggy replies in return. Soon, Morihei, Tokunaga and Edward turned up, followed by Mina and Uehara, who were excitedly chatting about topics that were far beyond my comprehension. Saza, Ouji and Morino were the next to arrive; when each of them came in, we all exchanged a glance at one other that conveyed a single message: _ do not tell anyone about the video camera._ After that, Nishi and Mitsumi came in together – I noticed that once again Nishi’s cheeks were slightly pink as Mitsumi happily waddled behind him. Even though Mitsumi’s mouth was covered, I could tell he was beaming at Nishi when they chatted. _Something is definitely going on between those two, _ I thought,_ or at the very least Nishi has a crush on Mitsumi. _After those two had seated themselves, Miyagawa and Yoneda were the last to arrive; Miyagawa claimed he had been doing his hair, while Yoneda simply overslept, a fact that was obvious from the sloped angle that his round glasses fell on his nose and his hair, which was sticking up in all manner of crazy angles.

“How are you feeling, Ori?” Miyagawa asked, resting his elbow on the table as he looked at me.

“Not great,” I admitted, “I had a lot of nightmares last night.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. You know,” he shuffled in his seat, as if unsure what to say, “if you want to… umm… talk about things that have upset you, I don’t mind listening to you.” I stifled a giggle. _Was this Miyagawa’s attempt at comfort?_ I also noticed that he was blushing, and it became increasingly harder not to laugh at him.

“Thank you, Miyagawa,” was all I was able to manage, so I just settled for grinning at him, which only made him blush more. “Did you sleep well?”

“Probably a lot better than the others,” he admitted. He leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. “You have to remember; this isn’t my first time dealing with… murder.” I thought back to when Miyagawa had told me about his adoptive grandmother, and how his father had taken her life in order to try and find out where she had hidden Miyagawa. He had only been a child back then, so was it easier for him, as a young adult, to stomach?

“Oh, that’s true,” I said, “but you should probably keep that to yourself.”

“I will, don’t worry. But then again,” he pondered, “I hope you don’t think I’m accustomed to seeing the dead. Sanda was the first corpse I’ve ever seen, and Hatanaka… well, executions are very much a thing of the past.”

“Hey, what are you two talking about?” asked Nishi, who had noticed that Miyagawa and I were having a private conversation.

“The code,” I lied quickly in response, but my lie seemed to attract the attention of the others. “We were discussing what it could mean.”

“What did it say? Uehara doesn’t remember,” admitted Uehara sheepishly.

"_The Blades of Despair hide among us. Do not play the game. Do not kill your classmates. There is no hope_,” recited Morino immediately.

“I guess the main question is: who or what are the Blades of Despair?” suggested Yoneda. As we continued the discussion, Iowa came back into the cafeteria carrying several dishes with our breakfast on. She slowly made her way around the room, giving everyone their food.

“I’m ruling out the possibility that they’re some kind of weapon,” affirmed Morihei, “given that the note says that they ‘hide among us.’ We can infer that the Blades of Despair are a group of some sort.”

“Perhaps a criminal syndicate or underground organisation,” agreed Edward, stroking his chin in thought. “Though, as I said yesterday, I know about a lot of criminal groups, ones that are not even known to the public, and I’ve never heard of one called the Blades of Despair.”

“And what’s this about them hiding among us?” queried Mina.

“Does that mean they’re in the school?” asked Tokunaga.

“W-what if they’re o-one of u-us?” proposed Mitsumi. We all looked at him.

“You suspect one of us of being a traitor?” asked Edward incredulously. Mitsumi shook his head frantically.

“N-no! I’m n-not being a-accusatory,” he claimed, “I j-just thought we were d-discussing all p-p-possibilities, even the u-unpleasant ones. I’m sorry…”

“I think it’s a little soon to discuss the possibility of a traitor,” said Edward crossly.

“Isn’t that what a traitor would say?” challenged Mina dumbly.

“I don’t have time to discuss serious matters with people who aren’t clever enough to understand their severity,” retorted the Ultimate Monarch, and Mitsumi started crying. Nishi stood up.

“Edward! You made Mitsumi cry! Apologise – now! He was only offering his thoughts, there was no need to dismiss him like that!” Edward sighed.

“Sorry, Mitsumi. I guess I’m still a little terse after yesterday’s events. Forgive me,” Edward bowed his head to Mistumi.

“I-it’s okay,” sniffed Mitsumi, “you w-were probably right. I d-don’t offer anything, I’m s-s-so useless.” Before any of us could respond, there was a loud crashing sound. Across the table, Iowa had dropped two bowls, a look of horror on her face. Immediately, Saza jumped from her seat and ran over to her friend.

“Iowa! What’s wrong?”

“Sixteen… I made sixteen portions…” Iowa sobbed.

“Why is that a problem- oh,” Mina stopped herself when she received a glare from Saza.

“Hey, Iowa, it’s okay,” assured Saza, “don’t worry about it…”

“Don’t worry about it?” Iowa shouted, “I made breakfast for two dead people! Dead! They’re gone and they’re never coming back…”

“Iowa…”

“Of course they’re not coming back! That’s how dead people work, moron!” I felt a powerful anger rise in my belly as Monomenon’s unhinged voice flooded the room. We all turned to see him standing on the table, having apparently appeared while we were all distracted by Iowa.

“You monster,” growled Nishi.

“Hey, I didn’t on plan on showing my adorable little face today, but then Miss Weeping Willow over there decided to make a mess,” he pointed a paw at Iowa. “So, now I have to take care of this. You all need to leave; don’t worry, I brought some motivation to help you.”

“No more motives, please,” begged Yoneda, “I don’t want to see any more corpses.”

“Oh, silly boy! I don’t mean motivation for _murder_! We haven’t organised that yet,” Monomenon cackled.

“So, there is going to be another Motive Day?” asked Morino.

“Oops! I already said too much,” snickered the executioner, “but listen! I opened up the second floor of the school, so you should totally go and explore that! I even added a map to your Seiko-pads! Go on, go on, explore!”

“Uehara wants to explore the new floor!” screamed Uehara.

“Don’t encourage him,” warned Morihei.

“But Uehara’s got the right spirit! Aren’t you guys excited to learn more about your academy’s prestigious history?” cheered Monomenon. “To access the new floor, please head to the elevator. Last night, I installed a button that will take you there. Now, scram!”

\---

Once Monomenon had practically forced us to leave the cafeteria, despite Tokunaga’s desperate pleas to allow him to finish his breakfast, we all gathered around the metal doors to the elevator. Saza had managed to calm down Iowa, who was now just sniffling.

“We have to get back inside this cage?” asked Morihei, “I don’t like small spaces very much.”

“I think it’s a good idea to explore another area of the school,” said Nishi, “maybe we can find more clues.”

“Explore! Explore!” cheered Uehara, giggling as she tugged on Mina’s arm, practically pushing open the metal doors.

“Uehara! Wait!” cried Yoneda. One by one we all followed the overexcited Uehara into the elevator. Just as Monomenon had said, a second light now occupied the darkness that filled the elevator when the doors closed. A button, inscribed with the number two, was now on the control panel. Uehara, even in the darkness, nearly broke it in her excitement to press it. With a loud, dull groan, the cage rattled, and we started to move. Unlike when we first travelled in this elevator, we at least tried to chat about what was waiting for us; what new rooms we would find, what new clues we might find, what new hope we wanted to find. Our conversation was cut short by a screech as the elevator halted. Soon, the doors opened, revealing to us the second floor of Seiko Academy.

All of our Seiko-pads immediately beeped as we stepped out. I reached for mine to see that my school map was flashing. I touched the screen and the layout of the floor was revealed to me. It seemed the elevator’s doors were located at the bottom right corner of the second floor. Directly in front of us was Classroom 2-B. To our right, the corridor snaked past a pair of rooms before turning to the left. Before the turn were two entrances; one to a games room, and the other to a music hall. After the turn, there were three more rooms; on the left-hand wall was the entrance to a storeroom, while on the right were a library and Classroom 2-A.

“If everyone has looked at the map, maybe we should split into groups and-” I began, but I was swiftly cut off by Uehara.

“Uehara wants to explore the games room! Come on, Morihei! I choose you!” she shouted excitedly before grabbing a hold of the Ultimate Coleopterist, who could barely mouth ‘help me’ before she was dragged away.

“Well, I guess that covers that room,” said a baffled Edward, “how about the other rooms?”

“I would really like to go to the library!” cried Yoneda, “I love books!”

“I’d also like to go to the library,” I added. I noticed the look Miyagawa gave Yoneda, it was similar to the look he had had when Yoneda and I had investigated the school after we discovered Sanda’s body. Sensing some tension, I decided to intervene: “you should come as well, Miyagawa.”

“Three of you? Isn’t that a lot?” asked Mina. I counted the remaining number of our group and shook my head.

“Not at all,” I argued, “there are going to be a lot of books and shelves to look through. Besides, there are still nine of you left, and four rooms. We still have enough for another group of three, as well as three pairs to examine the other rooms.”

“That’s fine,” agreed Morino, “then you three can investigate the library. Edward, shall we go to Classroom 2-A?” Edward nodded in response, and Nishi stepped forward.

“Then Mitsumi and I will go to Classroom 2-B. Is that alright, Mitsumi?”

“Yes!” Mitsumi said happily, “there’s no one else I’d go with!” Nishi’s cheeks pinked immediately, mumbling unintelligibly before striding away, Mitsumi once again running to keep up. The two went into the classroom and Nishi hurriedly closed the door behind them.

“Did you guys notice?” I asked.

“Notice what?” asked Miyagawa. I smiled.

“Just now,” I said, “Mitsumi didn’t stutter like he normally does.” Realisation dawned on the others and my smile grew wider. I looked at Miyagawa, whose expression had become unreadable; he was staring at me intently, but I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Eager to escape his piercing gaze, I suggested that he, Yoneda and I hurry to the library to investigate. It was agreed that Tokunaga and Mina would search the music hall, leaving Ouji, Iowa and Saza with the storeroom. We also decided to meet in Classroom 2-B after we had all finished our respective searches.

\---

Seiko Academy’s library was vast. No matter which way you looked, there were stacked shelves that rose all they way from the thick, emerald carpet to the ceiling. There was hardly any room to manoeuvre by oneself, let alone for three people to move freely.

“This… Is… Awesome!” Yoneda couldn’t contain his excitement, his eyes shining with wonder as they darted back and forth across the room, clearly analysing what he should read. Miyagawa put a hand on his shoulder.

“Yoneda, don’t forget, we’re here to search for clues. You can read at your leisure as soon as we’re done, I promise.” Although the Ultimate Polyglot initially slumped in disappointment, he quickly came to his senses and went to the far end of the room, where he began methodically scanning the spines, new and old, of the books.

“I guess I’ll start from that end,” I offered, heading in the opposite direction that Yoneda had gone. Miyagawa shrugged.

“Sure,” he said, “I’ll start in the middle. Call me over if you find anything.”

I found myself unsure of what I was looking for, just as I had been when we investigated the first floor. How would I know a clue if I saw one? I got lucky with the note, so I braced myself for my talent to punish that good luck with bad. Then again, so much had happened since I had discovered the note, I had forgotten whether I was due good or bad luck. As I browsed the shelves, my eyes flitted over the genres and topics, which were listed alphabetically: _ Anthropology… Astrology… Beetles… Blood… Carpentry… Cooking… _I sighed, my frustration at not finding anything growing with every category. This is a pointless endeavour, I thought to myself. Nevertheless, I continued going through the topics… _Crustaceans… Cynicism… Dancing… Despair… _I stopped._ Despair? How was that a category of books?_ I looked at the shelf and counted only four books before the genre transitioned to ‘Desperate Househusbands.’ When I looked closely at them, I noticed that all the books were bound identically. They were all protected by a black, card-like material, with gold inscriptions. They were a set, I realised, a tetralogy. Deciding they might be important, I took all four of them from their place on the dusty shelf and moved them over to a nearby table before calling over the two boys.

“You found another clue?” asked Yoneda in surprise.

“Your talent really plays a part at the most important times,” chuckled Miyagawa.

“I just worry about my bad luck. What if we open the book and it’s a trap, and fires a poison dart at whoever opens it?” I joked, trying to keep my face as serious as possible. My trick didn’t convince Miyagawa, but Yoneda paled.

“I hadn’t thought about that! Maybe we shouldn’t open these books…” he said worriedly. Miyagawa and I burst out laughing.

“She was only joking, Yoneda,” Miyagawa chortled.

“Oh. Guess I was a bit too gullible…” Yoneda giggled. Once we stopped laughing, we turned our attention back to the books.

“So, why did you pick them out?” asked Miyagawa.

“They were under a category called ‘Despair.’ That struck me as odd, so I thought they’d be worth looking at. They may be useless, but there’s only one way to find out,” I picked the first one up and showed it to them. “They are also bound the same way, which makes me think that they’re a set.”

“Um… so what are they called?” the question came from Yoneda. I put the first book back down and spread them out from first to last.

_The Volumes of Despair _

_Volume One: The Classes of Seiko Academy _

_Volume Two: A History of Seiko Academy_

_Volume Three: The Blades of Despair_

_Volume Four: Seiko Academy Alumni_

“So, there are four books, but the fourth one is pretty small,” noted Miyagawa.

“In that case,” I said, “let’s quickly scan through a book each and see what we can find. We can look at the fourth book later. I’ll do the first volume.”

“I’ll do the second one,” offered Yoneda.

“I guess that leaves me with the third,” said Miyagawa. We all took our respective tomes and sat separately from one another. I took a seat on the floor in front of the bookcase where I’d found the tetralogy and began to read. On the first page, there was a small paragraph:

_To be a student at Seiko Academy, you have to be the very best at what you do. Unparalleled talent in any given field is what makes our students so special. As such, it is only fitting that their student experience matches their extraordinary existences. Therefore, the academy pits the Ultimate Talents against one another in a bloodbath, a killing game. Deceit, betrayal, rivalry, fear and hatred all become central traits of their learning environment. ‘Volume One: The Classes of Seiko Academy’ was created to pay homage to and remember those who have participated in each killing game, all the way back to the very first one from nearly a century ago. This volume contains information regarding every student that has walked through the doors to our esteemed academy; those whose lives were taken by a classmate, those who took the lives of their classmates, those that were executed, and those that survived. Please note that details on all survivors can be found in the fourth volume of this series, ‘Seiko Academy Alumni’. Finally, the readers are advised that class trials were not introduced to the academy’s killing game’s until the fiftieth installment._

A horrible chill rippled through my body as I read. All of the names of the students, both living and dead, were listed in this book. Ninety-nine classes of sixteen students… all documented within these pages. I was reading a nightmare, a giant death certificate… _no_, I thought, _there is no description for this. It’s inhumane. _Nonetheless, I flipped to the next page to read the details of the very first killing game. There were details of the students, such as names, birthday, height, weight and of course Ultimate Talent. Below that were details of who murdered whom, whether they were executed, as well as small accompanying details on the individual cases. I examined the list of students:

_Tomiji Akamatsu – Ultimate Percussionist_   
_Naganori Takamaru – Ultimate Philosopher_   
_Aki Otsuka – Ultimate Ornithologist_   
_Omezo Toyama – Ultimate Chess Player_   
_Hidegatsu Takashima – Ultimate Gymnastics Instructor_   
_Sozui Taniguchi – Ultimate Prostitute_   
_Isao Okamoto – Ultimate Surgeon_   
_Kinji Ishotaru – Ultimate Administrator_   
_Jin Esumi – Ultimate Farmer_   
_Rebun Matsuda – Ultimate Secretary_   
_Suzuki Haruta – Ultimate Cyclist_   
_Haya Sasaki – Ultimate Accountant_   
_Kagami Yagami – Ultimate Electrician_   
_Rieko Wakamura – Ultimate Florist_   
_Ima Sawaya – Ultimate Radiologist_   
_Kura Mayumi – Ultimate Author_

According to the book, this killing game had only lasted a week before its conclusion. The Ultimate Surgeon, Isao Okamoto, had apparently killed off many of the students by the end of the first week; thanks to his knowledge of the human body, he killed his victims silently and swiftly and would claim a new victim each day. After five days, he was cornered and murdered by the Ultimate Electrician. After that, it had become a free-for-all between the other students, with the Ultimate Administrator coming out on top. _Kinji Ishotaru… why does that name sound familiar? Where have I heard it before? _ I decided to put those questions to one side and flick through the rest of the pages and learn the horrors of previous killing games. I read of twin sisters who had delivered a fatal blow to the same victim at the same time to create an unsolvable case with two killers and one victim; an Ultimate Amnesiac who forgot he had even committed a crime; best friends who betrayed one another to try and save the other; a couple who committed joint suicide, only for their classmates to not figure that out and vote for an innocent person, resulting in universal execution; a killer who had been a secret cannibal, and tried to hide the evidence of her crime by eating her victim. These and more awful tales awaited me on each new page until I reached the end, titled ‘Class 100’. Below it was a list of our names, as well details of Sanda’s murder, our class trial, and Hatanaka’s execution, and I felt a lump rise to my throat. The book was being edited as we lived inside the academy.

“I finished mine,” I jumped at the sound of Miyagawa’s voice. I hadn’t even seen nor heard him approach.

“Oh! Great, did you find anything interesting?” I asked.

“Interesting, yes. Could I make any sense of it? No,” he replied with a frown. “Whoever these Blades of Despair are, they are covering their tracks. All the information in that book was, at best, vague. I was only able to obtain a few key points that I think I should bring up when we meet up with the others. How about you? Find anything?” I explained the contents of the first volume to him, and also to Yoneda who, having heard us talking, joined us. Their eyes and mouths opened wide when I revealed that the book already contained details of our time at the academy, including details of the first class trial.

“You mean to say that there’s someone who is updating that book as we go?” asked Yoneda septically.

“That’s what seems to be the case,” I said slowly, “though I don’t know what to think, maybe after future cases…”

“Well, that’s assuming that there will be more cases,” retorted Miyagawa, “which we’re trying to avoid.” I was silent; I knew it was bad to think that way, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Monoworth and Monomenon weren’t going to stop until fifteen of us were dead, just like most of the past killing games. And Monomenon had already hinted to a second motive that was in production before he kicked us out of the cafeteria._ How many motives were they ready to prepare?_

“Well, for now,” began Yoneda, “let’s take these books to Classroom 2-B. I think most of the others are already there, since we’ve had a lot more to inspect than they have.”

\---

“What are those books?”

This was the first question that greeted us we entered the classroom. Everyone else had indeed been waiting for us to return, and many of their faces changed to surprise when they saw we had brought something with us.

“Apologies for taking a while,” said Yoneda sheepishly, “Ori found these books, and we tried to read them before coming back to you guys.”

“Another clue, Ori?” asked Edward skeptically. “You appear to find them quite easily.” I glared at him.

“Let me guess: you think it’s convenient, almost _ too _convenient, that I found something else? Have you forgotten about my talent, Edward?” I replied sarcastically. My comment clearly irritated the Ultimate Monarch, however I didn't have time to waste discussing the convenience of my talent. It was more important to me to share the information of the tomes with the others.

“Well, I for one think it’s great,” said Nishi, smiling at me, “at least you guys didn’t come back empty-handed.” I looked around the room.

“Nobody found anything?” I demanded. Silence.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” said Morino eventually, “both classrooms were empty, and we even checked the desks in case there were any more secret codes.”

“Inside the music hall, Mina and I find many instruments, discs and even a machine for karaoke,” added Tokuanaga, “but we no find clues.”

“Uehara found lots in the games room,” Uehara cheered, “arcade games, a dance machine, a billiards table, everything you could want! Morihei and I played on all of them!” I looked over at Morihei, who was sitting down at a nearby desk, looking completely disheveled and exhausted. Her eyes met mine.

“Not a word,” she muttered before resting her forehead on the desk.

“What about the storeroom?” asked Yoneda.

“We didn’t find anything that’s a clue, per se,” admitted Saza, “but it’s worth mentioning that the storeroom is filled to the brim with lots of random items, such as sewing kits, torches, stationery – the list goes on. It would be a good idea for everyone to go in and look for themselves.”

“Which brings us,” said Morino, “to the elephant in the room. Those books. I presume they’re important?”

“Very,” confirmed Miyagawa, “at least from what Ori and I have discussed. I don’t know about Yoneda.”

“This set of books is called the Volumes of Despair,” I continued from Miyagawa, “each one deals with a different aspect of the killing games: the first contains details of all the students, murders, executions and trials that have happened in the academy.”

“The second one,” Yoneda chimed in, “details the history of Seiko Academy itself. It’s not a particularly interesting read, but it does contain some important information.”

“The third one is a text on the Blades of Despair,” said Miyagawa, “it’s very vague though, and not much is revealed that will be useful to us.”

“And the fourth book?” asked Iowa.

“We didn’t read that one,” I admitted, “but it appears to just be a more concise version of the first book, in that it only discusses the survivors of past killing games.”

“The… survivors?” I nodded at Morino, who had made the inquiry.

“Exactly. It would seem that when there is one student left, the killing game ends and that student is allowed to live. Furthermore, the fact that none of the survivors are in the school should mean that they are also allowed to leave the academy.”

“Just so I’m certain,” interjected Nishi, “when you say ‘when there is one student left,’ what do you mean exactly?” I sighed.

“That all the other students are dead.”

“As I thought,” muttered Nishi sadly, “dammit.”

“Don’t be sad, Nishi,” Mitsumi said, “we just don’t have to kill anyone else.”

“So what did you find in these books? Any other clues?” pressed Saza.

“Well,” I began, “the one I looked at was very hard to read. There was so much information to process, but there was one thing that really bothered me.”

“What’s that?” Miyagawa asked.

“Well, the only killing game I read through thoroughly was the first one. According to the text, the killing games started about a century ago.”

“A hundred years? That’s… that can’t be true!” cried Iowa. “When we arrived, Monoworth told us that he wanted our killing game to finish quickly so they could prepare for the next group of students.”

“These killing games have been going on for that long?” whispered Mina.

“I’m just relaying the information in the text,” I said defensively, “and in any case, that’s not the most bothersome thing. The first killing game ended in one survivor. His name was Kinji Ishotaru, and he was the Ultimate Administrator. Despite the fact that his killing game happened a century ago, I feel like I’ve heard his name before, and recently.”

“We all have,” said Morino abruptly, “his was the signature on our invitation letters to the academy.” _Of course,_ I thought as I remembered my own letter,_ he’s the academy’s supposed headmaster._

“The head of the school was the first survivor of the the killing games,” said Edward in bewilderment.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” cried Iowa.

“Why?” asked Morihei.

“Because if he was still the headmaster of the school, and hence controlling both Monoworth and Monomenon, then he would be roughly our age plus one hundred.”

“There’s no way… Uehara was tricked by a pensioner!”

“Uehara, that’s not what’s important!” cried Saza.

“Saza’s right,” agreed Nishi, “could Kinji Ishotaru really still be alive?”

“If he is, I highly doubt that someone at his age would be able to run this whole operation,” I said skeptically.

“I agree,” said Tokunaga, “I think that someone is pretending that they are Kinji. They are using his name to hide the fact that they are using robot bears to do the killing game.”

“I a-also have a question,” said Mitsumi quietly, “i-if Kinji was the f-first survivor, then why d-did he b-b-become the headmaster o-of the s-school at all?”

“That’s a really good question,” admitted Edward, “but perhaps Yoneda could answer that. He did read the history of the academy, after all?”

“Sadly, there wasn’t any information about Kinji,” Yoneda lowered his head, “in fact, I don’t think there was any mention of a headmaster at all.”

“So, what does that mean?” I asked.

“It could mean that there was never a headmaster; the person controlling the bears simply uses Kinji Ishotaru as an alias,” suggested Morino.

“Then, they lure talented students to the academy and start these killing games. How cruel,” snivelled Mina.

“But what did the book say, Yoneda?” asked Iowa.

“I’ll do by best to be succinct,” said Yoneda, “Seiko Academy was built about five years before the killing games are supposed to have begun. The academy was built using the joint funds of an organisation known as the Blades of Despair. However, in the outside world, the group operated under a different name: the Higher Organisation of Pedagogy and Education, or HOPE. On the exterior, they appeared to be an ordinary educational company that simply wanted to take the world’s very best talents and transform them into masters of their craft. Yet, this could not be farther from their true objective. The Blades of Despair wanted to facilitate a scenario where Ultimate Students were forced to fight for their lives by murdering each other – this way, the most ultimate of all Ulitmate Students would survive. But there was a catch; the killing game was designed to fill the survivor with as much as despair as possible, so that when they were faced with the outside world once again, they would be unable to climatise back to a world without despair. In short, the survivors of the killing games become members of the Blades of Despair.”

“The Blades of Despair were students like us?” asked Mina.

“Not just that, but students who survived the killing game became part of the organisation that sought to destroy them,” said Edward solemnly.

“Will that happen to one of us?” the question came from Tokunaga.

“Absolutely not!” yelled Nishi. “There aren’t going to be any more murders!”

“You keep saying that,” said Morihei sleepily, “but how can you be sure? Those bears will keep motivating and motivating us to do it. Something has to give…”

“We just have to find an escape,” said Nishi firmly, “there’s bound to be one somewhere, I just know it.”

“Hatanaka said something similar,” snapped Morihei, “and look where he ended up.”

“Stop!” I shouted. Everyone went silent. “Don’t you guys realise that these sorts of conversations are exactly what those stupid bears want? Haven’t we already been over this? Can we please just focus on these books before we start tearing each other’s heads off?” Morihei sighed.

“I’m too tired for this. Wake me up when we’re done.”

“No need, Miss Ane,” we turned to see Monoworth standing at the entrance of the classroom.

“How long have you been standing there?” I demanded.

“Long enough, I’d say,” was the response, “but I actually came here to inform you students of some terrible news.”

“Terrible news?”

“Indeed. It would seem the second Motive Day must be postponed for a couple of days. We are still working on them, so please be patient with us.”

“What did you mean just now?” insisted Morino.

“Please be more specific, Mr Yoshimatsu.”

“You said you’re working on ‘them.’ What are ‘they?’”

“I promise, you will find out soon. Oh, before I depart, I have some other news for you. Monomenon has finally finished cleaning the cafeteria, so you’re welcome to return there- are those library books?”

“These? Yeah, why?” Miyagawa positioned himself in front of the books defensively.

“Library books mustn’t be taken out of the library!” Monoworth roared.

“Uehara doesn’t like angry bears! Make the angry bear go away!” Uehara screeched.

“Return those books immediately, or I’ll summon Monomenon!”

“Fine, fine. Just get out of here, you stupid animal,” growled Nishi.

“As you wish. Make sure those books are put back in their exact place, or else…” Monoworth left the room and we heard a whirring sound, presumably as he was lifted away.

“Well, I guess that’s everything for this floor,” said Miyagawa finally.

“One moment please, Miyagawa, we still have two more books to discuss,” reminded Morino.

“Yeah! What did the third book say? The one about the Blades of Despair,” persisted Mina.

“Sadly, there’s not much I can add to what Yoneda has already said,” confessed Miyagawa, “because the book was mostly blank. There were only a few pages with writing on it, and they talked about some sort of ‘project’, which I assume is a reference to the killing game. As for the fourth book, it just contains details on the survivors, but they can all be found in the first volume anyway”

“Well, if we are done here, can I suggest something?” asked Tokunaga nervously.

“What is it?” asked Nishi.

“I was thinking… we have some days to wait before we have to talk to the bears again. We should make use of these new rooms – I was hoping to organise a music event for us all.”

“A music event? But, aren’t you the only musically talented one here?” I asked.

“Not true! Uehara can sing! Uehara and Mina can form a band!” Uehara cheered and hugged Mina, who returned the embrace.

“I’m a dancer,” offered Ouji, “I could find some music among those discs that Tokunaga mentioned and find something to perform to.”

“O-of c-course, I’m a-also a d-dancer,” whimpered Mitsumi, “so I c-can show y-you what I can d-do, if you w-want.”

“I’ll help you out, Mitsumi!” cheered Nishi.

“Thank you, Nishi!”

“In Leonis, I was taught how to play several instruments… but, the piano was my favourite,” Edward smiled, apparently reminiscing about something. To my surprise, even Morino seemed excited by the idea of a music event.

“I know violin,” he mumbled.

“So that leaves Ori, Saza, Morihei, Iowa and Yoneda,” concluded Mina.

“How about this? We have a contest, and those five acts as judges,” proposed Edward.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” cheered Iowa. I nodded, as did the others

“Then it’s settled,” said Tokunaga happily, “in two days, we can have the music event. Tomorrow, we can all practise and rehearse, and then the day after we perform!”

“Fantastic! Oh, I am so excited!” celebrated Mina.

“In the meantime, I guess we should return these books, then call it a day,” I said, picking up two of them. “Yoneda, could you help me?” I made sure to look at Miyagawa, who was glowering once again as Yoneda happily agreed to take the books back to the library with me. _Oh, I am going to enjoy teasing him._


	14. The Ultimate Concert

The next couple of days passed fairly quickly and without interruption from the headmaster and his right-hand bear. I had spent most of my free time with the girls as the hour of the concert approached. We had all gone to the storeroom, and the girls who had explored it had been right; every shelf and box were filled with every kind of object you could imagine. We had even found some materials to make delicate and beautiful dresses, thanks to Uehara’s and Saza’s sewing skills. The boys, on the other hand, had an easier time as they had all packed suits when they came to the academy. I picked out an eggshell blue, ankle-length fabric for my dress, matching heels and an indigo, sparkling shawl. Ouji and Morihei had offered to style hair for the girls, and I happily took them up on that offer, as I despised styling my own hair. The other girls and I decided to keep our dresses a secret from the boys, despite telling them that formal dress was mandatory.

I had also had a chance to investigate the games room with Mina and Uehara, who spent practically all their time in there when they weren’t rehearsing for the contest. However, their attention span was unbelievably fickle; we would play billiards, then quickly move onto darts, then air hockey. This process repeated several times over every hour, and after about three, I had understood why Morihei had looked so exhausted after the short time she had spent with Mina. It was so tiring to look after those two that we established a rota for watching over them. Since I didn’t have any rehearsing to do for the contest, I had extra shifts, which I truthfully didn’t mind. Mina and Uehara had become like little sisters to the group, and a secret decision was made between the rest of us to take extra care of the pair. Since we had explored the second floor of the school, their moods had improved significantly, as though they had almost forgotten where we were, why we were there and what had happened to us. While I was still struggling to cope with our loss, it was nice to be able to partially forget about the atrocities of two days ago. Everybody else also seemed to busy themselves so they didn’t spend all their hours in mourning.

Before long, the evening of the music contest had arrived. The girls and I had gotten dressed in Ouji’s room because she had an abundance of hair products, makeup and jewellery. I knew nothing about presenting myself in an elegant and beautiful way; I had always settled for what felt comfortable, and not what necessarily made me look good. When I asked whether a pair of earrings were necessary, or whether I had too much makeup on, Ouji would simply shake her head and mutter not to bother a master at work. So, I sat patiently as Ouji did my makeover, and my nerves grew with every passing moment. _Why was she taking so long? Was I really so ugly that she had so much to cover up? _ The discomfort swelled, and I felt myself flush from shame, but no sooner had I thought these things that Ouji told me she was done. She and Iowa then helped me into my dress, and then covered my eyes and led me to Ouji’s bathroom.

“Okay, Ori, you can open your eyes! Ta-da!” I did as I was instructed and looked into the mirror and almost screamed in shock. The person looking back at me in my reflection, mirroring my movements and dumbfounded expression, was a beautiful, red-headed girl with shining eyes. _Is that me? _My hair had been sleeked upwards into a neat, spiralling bun, while some curled tendrils of hair delicately fell in front of my ears. Ouji had been kind enough to lend me some periwinkle earrings that swung from a thin, golden chain – they weren’t proper earrings, as my ears had never been pierced, but Ouji said they should stay attached as long as I didn’t move my head too suddenly. Ouji had also done my makeup (“you don’t need a lot of makeup on your face to look beautiful,” she had said when she saw my worried expression as I looked at her immense collection), and she had done an amazing job. The only noticeable changes she had made were plucking my eyebrows to make them more uniform and applying light pink lipstick. The overall effect, she had told me, was intended to be simple but elegant, and I believed she had achieved just that. In the storeroom, Uehara had found some jewels and ornaments from which she had, miraculously, somehow fashioned several necklaces and bracelets for us all to wear. She had given me a purple one, which she told me contained amethysts, but I struggled to believe she had found something so valuable in a school storeroom, but I let the thought go. _This is a night for us to enjoy, not to worry about storeroom logistics. _

“Ouji, I don’t know what to say…” I began, fumbling to find the right words to express my gratitude, but none came. Ouji simply grinned in response.

“You look stunning, Ori,” cried Morihei, who had come into the bathroom to see my reaction.

“Doesn’t she?” agreed Iowa excitedly.

“You’ll be turning those boys’ heads tonight,” laughed Ouji, “especially Miyagawa’s. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is going to struggle to keep his eyes off you tonight.” I groaned. _Not this Miyagawa nonsense again._ I decided to feign confusion when I answered.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I lied, “Miyagawa’s not interested in me. If he looks at me, he’ll only be appraising the worth of what I’m wearing.”

“All men do that, Ori,” sighed Iowa, and Ouji nodded solemnly, “that’s just how they are. Although, Nishi and Mitsumi might be exceptions, since they only seem to have eyes for each other.”

“Are you talking about my brother in there?” called Saza from the bathroom. We all left the bathroom and Saza whistled when she saw me.

“Well, would you look at that – Ori can pull off another colour other than grey! You look amazing! You might even turn my brother,” she cackled at her own joke.

“What do you mean, turn him?” asked Mina, who had obviously never heard the phrase before.

“Nishi is gay. He may not look like it, but I’ve never seen him show any interest in women. He always seemed to be more interested in the male clients who came to get tattoos at his parlour,” Saza’s response sounded rehearsed, as though she had had this conversation with someone before. That didn’t really surprise me; Nishi was quite attractive, so I imagined a lot of girls had pursued him for his ‘bad boy’ image and charming personality.

“He has certainly taken an interest in Mitsumi,” I giggled.

“Indeed, he has. Though he will never admit it. Nishi’s very shy when it comes to romance, and I think he understands he has to be very careful around someone as emotionally volatile as Mitsumi. If it weren’t for this killing game, I would even say that my brother is serious about pursuing a relationship with Mistumi,” Saza stood up from Ouji’s bed, which she had been sat on during the conversation.

“What do you think of that?” Morihei asked. Saza shrugged.

“Nishi is free to live how he wants, and to love who he wants. I will defend him for as long as I can; there are too many people in this world who waste so much energy telling people like my brother that they’re invalid, disgusting or that they deserve to die. Can you imagine that? Telling someone they don’t deserve to live because of who they love? I’ve seen Nishi in some very dark places, and I work hard to make sure he never returns to them. We should embrace who he is, even if they don’t fully understand it. Rejecting something you can’t comprehend is the easy thing to do, but that doesn’t make it the _right _thing to do.”

“That was… surprisingly heart-warming,” I remarked, but again Saza shrugged.

“That’s just how things are,” she replied, “it wouldn’t matter to me if any of you didn’t approve of a relationship between Nishi and another man. The thing is, the approval does not fall under our jurisdiction. Nishi’s relationships are his own, much in the same way that mine are mine, and Ori and Miyagawa’s is theirs.”

“Miyagawa and I are not-” I began to retort.

“-interested in one another. We know.” Morihei finished my sentence and the girls all laughed, much to my embarrassment. _Why are they all so adamant to play Cupid and see me and Miyagawa together?_

“Shall we go? I think Tokunaga wanted to start the concert at around half past seven,” I looked at the clock in Ouji’s room. Twenty minutes until we began.

“Uehara wants to perform with Mina! Let’s go!”

\---

The boys had arrived at the music hall before us. When they saw us, Nishi, Mitsumi and Yoneda all cheered and shouted compliments at us. I blushed furiously as they showered us with praise, while Ouji, Saza and Iowa revelled in it. Morino, Edward and Tokunaga all opened their mouths in shock as they looked at us all, unable to believe that the girls stood before them were the same ones they had eaten breakfast with the same morning. Tokunaga in particular couldn’t peel his eyes away from Morihei, who was occupied adjusting her beetle-like hairpin and didn’t notice the attention she was receiving. I risked a glance at Miyagawa. I froze on the spot when I saw that his gaze was fixated on me. _What is he thinking? Does he think I look good? _I stopped myself. _Why do I care what he thinks? He’s probably only interested in the jewellery. _Despite these thoughts, I felt inexplicably compelled to walk over to him, taking in his appearance as I did so. Miyagawa was wearing an emerald green tuxedo over a plain white dress-shirt. A silk black tie was tidily tucked away into his collar and he wore smart trousers that matched the tuxedo in colour, and black shoes that had recently been polished. _I must admit,_ I shamefully thought to myself, _he looks really handsome tonight. _I approached the Ultimate Appraiser until I was almost toe-to-toe with him and offered him a timid smile in greeting.

“Good evening, Ori,” he greeted, then paused. _This is _really _awkward._

“Um…”

“You look stunning,” he blurted, which caught both of us off-guard. He immediately clasped his hand over his mouth, then took it away to try and rectify what he thought was a mistake. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t appropriate… not that you aren’t stunning… you do look really beautiful… what I’m trying to say…”

“You look good too,” I whispered. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I was worried my makeup would melt off my skin.

“What?” he asked in shock.

“I said you look good too. That colour… really suits you,” I told him. Panicking, I turned away and walked back to the girls before he could respond. Ouji, who had been watching the whole exchange, gave me a quizzical look, but I simply shook my head. Eventually, once the chitchat had died down, we all took our seats in front of the stage. As the judges of the contest, Saza, Iowa, Yoneda, Morihei and I sat behind a table separate from the audience. Large cards numbered from one to ten were laid in front of me._ These must be for scoring. _Once everyone was comfortable, Nishi went onto the stage, microphone in hand.

“Good evening, everyone,” he started, “welcome to the first music contest of Seiko Academy’s one hundredth class.” We all cheered loudly for our host and for each other. “Thank you all for coming. Tonight, we have six very exciting and varying performances to present to you all. Firstly, Uehara and Mina are performing an original song. After them, we have a classical piece from Edward on piano, then Tokunaga will show us why he’s called the Ultimate Operatic Performer! Moving onto our fourth and fifth contestants – an exotic routine from our very own Ouji, and then a routine from one absolutely adorable pole dancer,” we all laughed as Mitsumi sank into his seat as we all turned to him, but even he couldn’t stifle his giggles at Nishi’s hosting._ He’s doing an excellent job._

“Our final performer,” Nishi said once the laughter had stopped, “will be a violin piece performed by the mysterious Morino. So, without further ado, let’s get things underway with an original song from Uehara and Mina.” All the girls screamed especially loudly as our ‘little sisters’ climbed onto stage. Nishi passed the microphone over to them and they timidly walked to the centre of the stage and introduced themselves.

“H-hi, everyone,” began Mina with a nervous cough.

“Uehara doesn’t use her music skill very often, so she is very rusty,” said Uehara, “but she wrote a song with Mina. Uehara hopes you all like it.”

“Our song,” added Mina, “is called ‘Things We Don’t Understand but Feel Very Strongly About.’ We hope you enjoy it.” I was confused – _did they really name their song that? And where is the soundtrack? Are they singing acapella?_ My questions were answered very swiftly when, with no warning, Mina and Uehara began to shriek into the microphone.

_Why are grapefruits called grapefruits;_   
_When grapes are already fruit? _   
_Has anybody been inside an empty room; _   
_Or is it impossible? I don’t know! _

_Do woodchucks even have the muscular capacity, _   
_To chuck wood? Sing it, Uehara! _   
_Isn’t it weird how someone can hate you, _   
_Based on a description someone gave them? _

_When we forget a memory, _   
_How do we remember we’ve forgotten it? _   
_There are people who love us in this world, _   
_But we haven’t even met them! _

The screaming continued for what seemed like hours, as Uehara and Mina yelled countless questions into the microphone. Most of them were pretty stupid, but some actually made me think about their answers. Everyone else was equally stunned, not making a sound as the two girls continued their torrent of musical abuse at us. There was no rhythm, no music, no beat, no timing, no pitch – their performance wasn’t musical at all, and I was honestly unsure whether I would even be able to bring myself to score it. They finally stopped, and the music theatre was filled with a stunned silence as our ears tried to recover from what they had just endured. Onstage, Mina and Uehara were breathing heavily, as though they had just carried a boulder up a mountain. Unexpectedly, Nishi stood up and began cheering and clapping for the girls.

“That was amazing, girls! Wasn’t that great, everyone?” _No, it wasn’t, _I thought. Then I noticed the look on his face, which told us that he also didn’t enjoy the performance but didn’t want to upset the girls by not celebrating.

“Hooray for Mina and Uehara!” cheered Ouji, who had also picked up on what Nishi was doing, and soon everyone was on their feet, giving a false round of applause to the two girls. I felt bad that we had to lie to the girls about their abysmal song, but when I saw how pleased they were with themselves, a surprising feeling of pride swelled within me.

“Alright,” said Nishi, who had now taken back the microphone from Uehara, “time for the scores! What do we think, judges?” I thought for a moment._ I can’t give them a high score, but I don’t want to hurt their feelings. _I opted for a score of five which, when combined with the scores, totalled thirty for the pair. _That score should be easy to beat for someone like Tokunaga, whose Ultimate Talent revolves around his musicality._

“Next up, we have a very special treat for you all – a performance from the one and only Ultimate Operatic Performer, Tokunaga Carluccio! Everyone, let’s cheer him as he comes to the stage!” We all roared in excitement as Tokunaga confidently made his way to Nishi, wasting no time in positioning the microphone stand exactly to his height, as he had undoubtedly done countless times before. The stage was Tokunaga’s territory, and I held my breath as I waited for him to start. I could sense that we were about to witness something incredible.

“Good evening, _tutti_,” said Tokunaga warmly, “tonight I will sing for you one of my personally favourite arias. Please, enjoy.” He made a gesture at Nishi, who was waiting by a boombox at the side of the stage. Nishi nodded and pressed a button, and the room was filled with the sombre tones of a clarinet, and Tokunaga began to sing:

_Una furtiva lagrima_   
_Negli occhi suoi spuntò_   
_Quelle festose giovani_   
_Invidiar sembrò_

_Che più cercando io vo? _   
_Che più cercando io vo? _   
_M’ama! Sì m’ama, lo vedo. _   
_Lo vedo. _

His voice was beautiful, the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. The way his voice carried the emotion of the song, a song which I couldn’t even understand, almost brought me to tears as soon as the first verse was over. Tokunaga effortlessly breathed every note, every word of his native tongue as though he had written the aria himself. I looked at the other judges and at the audience members. They were all watching in awe and admiration as Tokunaga rose to a crescendo at the song’s end. When the music stopped playing, the absence of Tokunaga’s singing in the room felt like a small fraction of my soul had been lost with it. My reverie was broken by the sound of Morino, who had stood up to applaud Tokunaga. As we had done with Mina and Uehara, we all stood and applauded Tokunaga uproariously. After about a ten-minute standing ovation from us all, I finished clapping and wasted no time in selecting my ten-point card, as did the other judges. _A perfect fifty for the Ultimate Operatic Performer, _I thought, _no one should be surprised at that outcome. _

Edward’s turn came after Tokunaga, and he performed a melancholy piece on piano. He told us as he sat in front of his instrument that the song had been written by a family friend back in Leonis. The piece was calming, but there were traces of sadness that ebbed into not only the music, but also Edward’s face as he played delicately. The piece made me think of my parents, and I remembered how much I suddenly missed them, despite the part of me that believed they had willingly sent me here. I thought back to the good times, like watching movies together and eating homemade popcorn; going to theme parks and how my dad always pretended that he hadn’t been scared; my first sleepover with my classmates from high school. I also thought of bad times, like when our first family pet, a collier named Isaac, passed away after being struck by an oncoming car; when I failed a class simply because I was unlucky and given the wrong exam paper; when I overheard my mother telling her husband that she was sick and didn’t know when she would get better, and that we had to prepare ‘for the worst’. I hadn’t known what my mother had meant at that time because I was so young when I had heard it, but the way she had said it and my father’s fearful reaction irrevocably ingrained the memory into my head. I fought back tears as the memories of what now seemed a former life came to me like a flood, drowning me in nostalgia, sorrow and anxiety. Almost as if guiding my reminiscing to an end, Edward’s hands stopped pressing the piano keys, and he remained still, as if he never wanted the final chord to end. In the crowd, several of my friends could be heard sniffling or sobbing. Having been moved so deeply by his song, we scored him forty-four. Ouji, who had taken a few moments to compose herself after Edward’s piece, walked onto stage.

“Hi, everyone,” she said with a smile, “I’m going to perform a dance I learned from a wonderful all-women dance troupe I met in Cairo. I just need to do a quick costume change, so wait just a few minutes.” She briskly left the stage, and we all looked at each other with questioning glances. _A change of costume? But why? _My question was answered a few minutes later when I heard the distant sound of metal clinking against metal, and Ouji reappeared onto stage. My jaw dropped. She had changed into a translucent mandarin-coloured bedlah, leaving her midriff and shoulders bare. A similarly-coloured shawl extended behind her and was attached to both of her wrists, floating behind her like a pair of wings. A piece of fabric, tied around her mouth, covered her lips and drew all the attention to her eyes, which were now intensely staring ahead as she readied herself for the music. She signalled for Nishi to start up the boombox, but he was so entranced that he almost didn’t notice. Suddenly, a drumbeat sounded throughout the room and Ouji sprang into action, jerking her hips to each beat, as though the drum had taken control of her body and commanded its every moment. Then, other percussion jumped into the piece and Ouji’s body started to move more fluidly; her hips now snaked upwards, downwards, in circles. She moved like a serpent through desert sands, consuming the stage with her rhythm and beauty as our eyes had no choice but to follow every hypnotic motion. We had all fallen under the spell of the Ultimate Naturalist, and time itself had come to a halt. The only person in the room was Ouji, and the only sound was the orchestration of traditional music blaring from the speakers. Once she had finished, we all remained in awed silence.

“Don’t just sit there gawking,” she exclaimed, “shouldn’t you be clapping?” And we did. For a long time. We scored Ouji forty-six. She then excused herself once again so she could change back into the gown she had been wearing earlier, while Mitsumi timidly took his place onstage. Nishi had also dragged a dancing pole onto stage and placed it next to him. Both boys were blushing furiously, and I wondered whether Nishi had actually helped Mitsumi or attended rehearsals just so he could watch. However, once Mitsumi began his performance, Nishi watched him in a way that suggested that he had never seen anything like Mitsumi’s dancing before. Mitsumi Romi, the timid and tearful one in the group, swung himself around the pole and performed feats of flexibility I thought impossible. Like Ouji’s dance, it was very difficult not to watch Mitsumi in astonishment, but I occasionally found myself glancing at Nishi. Even from the distance that I was sat from the stage, I swore I could feel the heat from his blush. He didn’t even seem to blink as Mitsumi effortlessly snaked his body around the pole. We all cheered encouragingly as Mitsumi climbed, slid and utilised every inch of the pole like it was an extension of himself. Once it was over, we all yelled and screamed in support, though no one was quite as vocal as Nishi. Mitsumi, overwhelmed by the response, hid his face in his hands and ran back into the audience, while a beet-red Nishi pushed the pole offstage.

“Right,” Nishi coughed once he had returned to the stage, “we have now come to our final contestant. Morino, the stage is yours!” Morino bowed slightly as he stood and made his way to the stage, ivory-white violin in hand.

“Good evening all,” said Morino quietly, “before I begin, I have a request. I think we all know that Tokunaga is going to win this contest tonight, so I wish to cease all competitive function of this event.” There was murmuring among the group as he spoke.

“Why do you want to do that?” asked Nishi, who hadn’t left the stage.

“Because I think it would be nice if we paired up and danced to the final song of the evening,” was the reply, a reply which made me freeze. _I don’t know how to dance._ “Don’t worry if you don’t know how to dance, I taught all of the boys a few basic steps beforehand.” _Why does Morino know basic dance steps? _I barely had any time to register what was happening before Uehara and Mina jumped onto stage with Nishi and Morino and began moving their bodies. I couldn’t bring myself to call it dancing simply because I didn’t know what it was. Unsurely, steadily, people started to pair up, hesitantly taking each other’s hands and standing toe-to-toe. Yoneda and Iowa were the first to take to the space in front of the stage, followed closely by Edward, Ouji, Tokunaga and Morihei. Nishi jumped down from the stage and nervously offered his hand to Mitsumi, who reminded his much taller friend of his fear of physical contact. Although the disappointment on Nishi’s face was very apparent, Mitsumi then held out a pair of small black ribbons.

“Oh, did you already have someone in mind to dance with?” asked Nishi.

“Yes,” said Mitsumi, nodding, “they’re stood in front of me. If we each hold an end of the ribbons, we can still dance, even though we won’t be touching.” Nishi’s cheeks burned brightly, and the two started to sway left to right as Morino’s music softly enveloped the room like a blanket. As the boys led a very simple waltz, my eyes travelled around the room and eventually landed on another set of dark eyes belonging to the only boy left to dance with. Miyagawa. He slowly strode over to me, an unmistakable yet uncertain smirk playing on his lips, and I felt my neck and cheeks get a little warmer. He stopped at a distance where the tips of his leather shoes barely avoided brushing against my blue heels. I looked at him.

“Would you like the honour of dancing with the Ultimate Appraiser,” he asked with oozing confidence, and my breath hitched in my throat. _Here goes nothing,_ I thought to myself,_ don’t let him know you’re nervous. _

“I think you’ll find,” I responded playfully as I delicately put my hands in his, “that you’re lucky to be dancing with one such as I. Please, lead the way.” Without hesitation, he led me to the middle of the floor and gently pulled me close to his chest, where I instinctively rested my head. In that moment, I couldn’t help but notice how good he smelled. I surmise it was an expensive cologne. His toned chest was very comfortable – I had been expecting it be like a brick wall. I hated to acknowledge it, but it felt _good _to be dancing with Miyagawa, and as he guided our waltz to the sound of the violin, I found myself almost giggling in my giddiness. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ouji wink conspicuously in my direction as she danced with Edward. I admired Ouji’s confidence. She was dancing with a real monarch, yet she was completely unaffected.

“Did you enjoy being a judge then?” I looked up at Miyagawa. _Our faces are really close. Would it be unusual if we…? _Catching myself in my thoughts I hastened to put my head back on his chest so that he wouldn’t notice the redness of my face.

“It was fun,” was my simple answer. “Did you not want to participate?” I felt him shrug.

“I can’t play any instruments, and I certainly can’t sing.”

“That didn’t stop Uehara and Mina.”

“Those two have no fear. It’s really quite incredible.” I hummed and we were quiet for a while, listening to the music. It was a slow melody, but I couldn’t distinguish if it was a cheerful or sombre, so I just let Miyagawa circle us around the room.

“Hey, Ori…”

“Yes, Miyagawa?”

“You… uh… you really do look beautiful tonight, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I don’t mind at all. Thank you." Then I had a brilliant idea and smirked to myself. "I have to admit, you looked really good in a pair of swimming shorts.” Miyagawa could only splutter in response, but before he could formulate a proper answer, the final act of the concert entered the room.

“Where was my invite to this?” screeched the metallic tones of Monomenon, who dropped down from the ceiling as he always did.

“No way,” whined Mina loudly, “we were having such a great night!”

“She’s right,” said Tokunaga angrily, “how dare you show your face here!”

“Sheesh, rough crowd tonight,” said Monomenon. “You guys have really upset me, and I’m a robot. I don’t even have feelings!”

“If you’re here to waste our time,” threatened Nishi, “then why don’t you leave us alone and deal with your butler bear boyfriend.”

“Oh no, you completely misunderstand the relationship between Monoworth and I,” Monomenon replied, shaking his head, “besides, you and the Ultimate Stuttering Weakling over there satisfy the ever-growing need to add faggots to a story to make it more inclusive.”

“What the fuck did you just call Mitsumi?” roared Nishi, but Mitsumi merely tugged on the ribbons they were holding. Nishi looked at him and Mitsumi shook his head.

“Why are you here?” I demanded.

“Well, I did say my feelings were hurt, but there are two reasons why,” whimpered Monomenon, “the first is how cruel you all are to me by not inviting me to this little shindig. But the second is this: I’ve been looking all over for you guys. I only have little legs, and I can’t reach the button in the elevator.”

“I don’t care about your problems, bear,” snarled Miyagawa, “why are you here?”

“Trying to show off for carrot-top? I can’t say I blame you; she does look good in blue,” laughed Monomenon, “but as I was saying, I’ve been looking for you guys. Did you all forget?”

“Forget what?”

“About today! Today is a very special day! It’s your second Motive Day!” as the metal of Monomenon’s teeth echoed throughout the room as he laughed maniacally, I felt my grip on Miyagawa’s hand tighten, bracing myself for another horror. Our concert had received an encore, a sickening encore that was met with silence. No applause, no cheers, no screams. Just dreadful silence.


	15. Murderous Ultimatums

“No… not another motive to murder…” groaned Edward, putting his head in hands.

“And why tonight, of all nights? We were trying to have fun, and once again you’ve ruined it!” screeched Mina.

“Please, students, don’t be so hard on Monomenon. It is I who prepares the motives, after all,” Monoworth entered the room from behind the piano on the stage. _ Just how many entrances and exits do these bears have to this school? _

“I don’t care who does what! You’re working together, so you’re both our enemy,” cried Miyagawa angrily. I noticed he was still holding my hand.

“Be that as it may, there are dire consequences for disobeying us,” replied Monoworth, “you’re under my roof, as such you are under my whim. It is highly recommended that you all behave.”

“Your definition of good behaviour is to wait until one of us kills another… how twisted,” murmured Yoneda.

“Why don’t we see who the twisted ones are after the game is over,” chuckled Monomenon, “we’re not the murderers.”

“How many times are we going to have this conversation?” interrupted Morihei, glaring furiously at the bears. “Tell us the motive, then leave.”

“Yeah, get out of here! Uehara hates looking at you!” yelled Uehara.

“Hmph. Fine, but this motive is different to the last one,” said Monoworth, “you all need to return to your rooms. A special present is waiting for each of you there. You should open them; they may even be from your loved ones.” Before any of us could register what they had said, the two bears were once again lifted away as quickly as they had arrived.

“I’m not sure if I want to see this present,” said Nishi.

“No one should! It’s obviously a trap,” said Saza.

“But Monoworth said that the presents are from our families,” reminded Yoneda, “maybe they’re coming to save us?”

“If that were the case, then why would that motivate us to kill each other?” Miyagawa asked. “Evidently, these presents are designed to do nothing more than drive a wedge further between us all. They want us to stop trusting each other, to hate each other and if we keep giving in to their every command, that’s what will happen.”

“Even if present is no good,” said Tokunaga sadly, “I would still like to hear voice of my Mama again…”

“Me too,” I admitted.

“But they wanted us here! They want us to die!” cried Iowa.

“We don’t have proof of that other than what Monoworth and Monomenon told us. If you believe them, then there’s no reason why they would lie about these presents and the fact that they came from home,” my retort seemed to unsettle the room. Nobody knew what to make of the news. _Should we open these presents? Should we ignore Monoworth? _We didn’t know what to think.

“I think I w-w-will look at m-my p-p-present…” said Mitsumi, “I d-don’t really h-have anyone o-outside, so I w-want to see who s-sent me something.”

“You’re really risking a motive to murder?” asked Edward indignantly. “How foolish.”

“D-don’t you h-have anyone who l-loves you outside?” asked Mitsumi timidly. “Aren’t y-you a k-king? There m-must be s-someone…”

“Don’t assume to know anything about me, my personal life or my kingdom!” shouted Edward, enraged. Mitsumi, seeing he had upset the Ultimate Monarch, fled from the room, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“Mitsumi!” With an angry look at Edward, Nishi stormed out of the room, calling for Mitsumi.

“Perhaps it would be best to not look at them after all,” I conceded, disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to look at the present from my parents.

“Yeah, you’re right, Ori,” agreed Ouji sadly, “we can’t allow ourselves to be driven to murder. Not like Hatanaka…” Undoubtedly, the memory of what we had already suffered, and the prospect of it happening again so soon, had created within us a dilemma. We could open our presents, sent to us by our loved ones and risk the motivation to kill one of our friends, or leave them and never know what our loved ones want to say to us.

“I think,” began Tokunaga, “we should all return to our rooms. I am very tired.”

“Me too,” yawned Edward as he undid the top button on his shirt, “the concert is ruined, and this suit is very uncomfortable. Goodnight everyone.” He left the room, closely followed by Tokunaga, Saza, Iowa, Morihei and Yoneda. Uehara and Mina also left, saying that they wanted to go to the games room to take their mind off what had happened. Morino, Miyagawa, Ouji and I were the only ones left.

“I’m going to change back into my dress,” stated Ouji. She then turned to Morino, “can you help me, please?” Morino gave her a confused look.

“Why do you need my help? You managed to change into the bedlah without any help.” Ouji’s eyes darted very quickly to me, then back to Morino, whose own eyes widened. He coughed awkwardly and agreed to help her. They both left the room, and I found myself alone with Miyagawa, whose warm palm was still clasped over mine.

“Let’s go,” he said. Although he wasn’t looking directly at me, I could tell he was blushing. I was also glad that he wasn’t looking my way; he couldn’t see my own pink cheeks. We walked through the second-floor corridor quietly, unsure of what to say to one another. When we passed the games room, we saw Mina and Uehara trying to play billiards with one arm behind their back and giggling uncontrollably. I smiled. _I wish I was able to forget about the horrors of this academy so easily, _I thought. Miyagawa and I came to the elevator and went back to the ground floor. We didn’t say a word in the elevator’s dark, metal confines, nor when we eventually arrived at the doors to our dormitories. Miyagawa let go of my hand and I instantly noticed how cold it was without his hand in mine.

“I had a nice time at the concert tonight, Ori,” he said, a nervous smile on his lips.

“Me too, Miyagawa,” I replied, “and the dancing wasn’t too bad either.” He laughed.

“I had no idea how to dance until Morino taught us,” he admitted, “but I’m glad he did.”

“I still don’t understand how Morino knows. He doesn’t seem like someone who would know any dance steps.”

“Well, that’s perhaps a puzzle for another day,” Miyagawa said as he took a step towards me. _Oh no, _ I thought, _I hope he isn’t going to kiss me. My breath is probably really bad, and I’ve never kissed a guy before. _ Fortunately, he slowly and hesitantly snaked his arms around my shoulders and gave me a hug. Surprised, I didn’t move a few seconds before leaning into the embrace a little and putting my arms around him.

“A hug? Is this the real Miyagawa?” I joked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never hugged anyone other than Gran,” he whispered, and I felt a pang of guilt for making the joke. Miyagawa probably had never had the opportunity to open up emotionally to people after his adoptive grandmother passed away; Junichi hardly sounded like the sort of person who would take time to worry about Miyagawa’s feelings. Maybe I was the first person who he had had any sort of emotional connection with since Hana’s death. With this thought in mind, I held the Ultimate Appraiser a little tighter before letting go. His dark eyes looked exhausted and sad, and I told him to go to sleep.

“You’re right,” he said, “I’m very tired. I’ll speak to you tomorrow, Ori. And… thanks again for tonight.” He went inside his room, and I did the same.

The first thing I noticed was the large, wrapped box that was sitting on my bed. The motive. I walked towards it and almost reached out to open it before I remembered the conversation that we had had earlier._ I shouldn’t, _I said to myself, _we agreed to not give in to the temptation. I have to keep to that promise. _ I moved the box to the other side of my room, changed out of my dress and fell onto my bed, exhausted. I shut my eyes and willed the world of dreams to take over, but no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, an invisible force seemed to pull open my eyes and direct them to where I had placed the box._ No-one would know if I did look at it. I didn’t commit a murder last time we were given a motive, there’s no way I will this time. _I slapped myself, mentally scolding myself for letting the temptation get the better of me.

Five minutes later, I was sat upright with box placed in my lap. _You’re an idiot, Ori. _

“If no one finds out, no harm can be done,” I said to myself as I peeled the wrapping paper away quietly. I knew the room was soundproof but, given that what I was doing was breaking the agreement I had made with my friends, I still took the precaution of being as quiet as possible. Once I had finished tearing away the paper, I was presented with a plain brown box, the lid of which I hurriedly removed. I looked inside to find that the box was practically empty, save for one small piece of paper inside. Confused, I reached inside and took the piece of paper. One side was blank, but the other bore the words:

CHECK THE MOTIVE TAB ON YOUR SEIKO-PAD

I realised then that there was no present, no gift from the outside world. _But why make us all go to our rooms to find this just so we would check our Seiko-pads? _ Despite my confusion, I obeyed the note and picked up my Seiko-pad, pressing the word ‘Motive’ as soon as it appeared on my screen. Initially, nothing happened, but then a cartoon version of Monoworth waddled onto my screen and began to talk in a high-pitched version of his regal British accent.

“Seiko Academy, the most prestigious educational institute in the world,” it began, “is proud of the plethora of unique and talented students that walk through its doors. Throughout the years, we’ve seen betrayal, deceit, cunning and most importantly, murder. But how do we facilitate such a successful system of killing? Well, as the saying goes: no pain, no game. By inflicting emotional pain and creating psychological and moral dilemmas, our students quickly obtain the drive you need to graduate from our academy. This video is one such motive, and is intended for the eyes of Orito Asaji, the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student. Enjoy!” The cartoon Monoworth waddled off the screen and was immediately replaced with an image that made me gasp aloud and my heart swell._ Mum! Dad! _ Their happy, smiling faces shone on my screen. I recognised the room they were sitting in as the lounge from home: the lush, navy couch that sat in front of the small table that the camera was filming from, the portrait of our family on a holiday in London that hung above the couch. Everything was so familiar yet seemed so distant thanks to the isolation of being trapped inside the academy for so long. However, seeing my parents in my home warmed my heart and I remembered why I needed to escape – to see them again. The thought of them wanting me here so that I could participate in the killing game vanished from my mind as soon as I saw my mother’s smile. I knew it was hard for her to smile because she was so sick. Her face was a lot thinner than when I had left home, there were dark circles under her eyes and there was an absence in her grey eyes, as if she wasn’t really focused on anything, but was aware of something.

“Hey! Ori! Hey, my little princess!” cooed my dad, his smile growing wider. “Your mother and I couldn’t be any prouder of you, even if we tried. You made it to Seiko Academy, and we know you’re going to do so fantastically.”

“We’ve told everyone,” my mother cut in, her voice trembling slightly as she struggled to speak, “the neighbours, your grandparents, all your friends from school. Those pesky news reporters have been at our front door every day since you were seen walking past those gates. Apparently, a young man named… what was it… Miyagawa came in after you; I hope you two have become good friends!” I blushed, looking at the hand that had been held in his just moments ago.

"Well, we don't have much time," my father said, "so we’ll tell you the most important thing. We love you so much, Ori.” A few tears began to fall from my eyes, and I put a finger on the screen, briefly touching the face of my sick mother who was also crying through her proud smile. "We miss you, and we hope to hear from you soon." Suddenly, the screen froze, and the image was replaced by another. An image so horrifying that it rendered me unable to breathe or move. The light in the room had disappeared, and all that remained was a ruined sofa, covered in dark blood. Bile and vomit threatened to rise in my throat as I looked at the source of the gore. Wearing indescribable looks of pain etched onto their faces, the severed heads of my parents gazed lifelessly at the camera. The air in my lungs fled and the next sound I heard was my own scream.

"Oh no! What happened here?” Monomenon's voice sounded from the Seiko-pad, a laugh hiding behind his words. “It seems that something very bad has happened. But what? I don’t know, that’s for sure! If you want to find out, Miss Asaji, you know what to do. Kill a friend, graduate and discover what happened to your poor, poor parents.” The voice stopped and the video went out. The only sound in the room was my pained sobbing, which continued until I fell asleep.

As I slowly became overpowered by fatigue, I wondered if my friends had also seen their own videos, whether they had witnessed a similar sight to what I had. What I didn't know was that yes, everyone had indeed opened their gifts, everyone had indeed seen a video of the same level of personal horror that I had seen. But another horror awaited us the next morning – one we all feared more than anything.

Another betrayal. Another death. Another killer.

\---

After a rest filled with nightmares of my beheaded parents, I woke up. Slowly, without thinking, I washed, dressed and went to breakfast. When I arrived, three faces looked at me: those of Miyagawa, Iowa and Yoneda. Everyone seemed very tired and I immediately knew they had seen their videos. When I asked, they lowered their heads. Yes.

“I saw mine too. I can't believe it…” I muttered.

"So ... it means that those in your video are ... you know ..." Miyagawa started asking me, but I shook my head.

“Don't say it,” I ordered, “I don't want to hear you say it.” A few moments of silence fell upon us, and then Yoneda coughed.

“If you don't mind, can I tell you what I saw in my video? I don't know if it will help me, but if I talk about it, I might feel better. I saw a video of my six brothers.”

"Six?" Iowa asked, shocked.

“Yes, and they are also identical. I’m a septuplet. I’m the oldest and was born forty-five minutes before the youngest. Yoneda, Toneda, Soneda, Noneda, Honeda, Doneda and Boneda – those are our names. Obviously, my parents aren’t the creative type... In any case, I saw them, tortured and covered in blood. Who would do this? And why didn’t the video show my parents? Are they okay? Why couldn't they save my brothers? Were they the ones who killed them? I’m at a total loss…"

“Do you have a good relationship with your parents?” I asked.

"More than anyone. We were a very poor family. Feeding seven children was very difficult for my parents; my father had two jobs and we almost never saw him. But we managed to survive, and life became easier when we discovered my aptitude for languages. I could accept small jobs here and there, translating or teaching the languages I know. I kept working hard, day and night, and soon I had mastery of over twenty languages. But there was a price. I spent so much time at work that my family relationships began to fade. There were many arguments in the house, especially between my father and me. He could never understand that what I was doing was to make our life better. I also think he was jealous of my success as a young man. My mother told me that she and my father were very grateful for what I was doing, but I spent many years dealing with a very resentful father. My brothers also turned their backs on me – they believed that I was being favourited by virtue of my skills and bread-earning. But I love them all still; when I got the invitational letter to the academy, we buried all our hatchets and decided to celebrate the future success of the Naosuke family.” Yoneda sighed. “But apparently this was all a ruse, and my parents agreed to send me here to be butchered like an animal.”

“You don’t know that for certain,” I insisted, but Yoneda shook his head.

“They weren’t in my video, Ori. If Monoworth doesn’t believe that seeing them would have motivated me to commit murder, then he must be right.” Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Morihei, Tokunaga, Ouji, Edward and Saza. They all had similarly dejected expressions, and I knew that, like us, they had given into the temptation of opening the presents. We had all been traumatised by what we had seen, and I knew from the dark circles under my friends’ eyes that nobody had slept well. Even Edward and Morihei seemed too shaken to speak.

“Do you guys want me to make some breakfast?” asked Iowa quietly, but everyone declined. We were too grief-stricken to eat, but I noticed that we were still short on number.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“Be patient, Ori,” said Morihei, “I’m sure they’ll arrive. It’s still quite early, and if they’ve seen what we have all undoubtedly seen, then we might need to give them space to process it all.” I nodded. Morihei was right, especially since some of the meeker members of our group such as Mina and Mitsumi would likely be less able to cope with the revelations of the motive videos than any of us._ Then again, _I thought, _would anyone be able to cope with what I saw last night. _

We didn’t have to wait long before Morino, Nishi and Mitsumi arrived. Unexpectedly, Nishi seemed far more upset than Mitsumi. _If anything, Mitsumi looks more concerned for Nishi than he does for his motive… I wonder why? _I also glanced at Morino, who seemed unusually terrified. When he sat down at the table, he didn’t even look up at anyone, nor did he utter a word. I shared a worried but perplexed look with Miyagawa, who had also noticed this sudden change in demeanour. _What could Morino have possibly seen that’s shaken him so badly? _

“Well, that’s almost everyone,” noted Morihei, “but Uehara and Mina are still missing.”

“They’re probably in the games room,” Saza suggested.

“Nishi, are you okay?” Edward asked. The Ultimate Tattoo Artist didn’t respond. It was bizarre to see Nishi so silent; it was like he and Mitsumi had undergone a role reversal where Mitsumi looked after his much taller friend.

“Nishi s-saw his m-motive video l-last night,” Mitsumi began to explain, “I t-tried to s-stop him b-but he was a-adamant.”

“Did everyone watch their motive videos?” everyone nodded at my question, and I turned to Edward. “Even you?”

“I know, I’m a hypocrite,” he held up his hands defensively, “I said we shouldn’t look at the videos, but I ended up looking at my own anyway. But I have a whole kingdom to worry about, not just a family.”

“I d-didn’t watch m-my video,” interrupted Mitsumi, and we all looked at him in surprise.

“Why not?” questioned Tokunaga.

“I w-was with N-Nishi. I r-ran away l-like a coward last n-night,” Mitsumi’s eyes quickly scanned over to Edward, the person who had upset him after the concert, “but w-we went to N-Nishi’s room and I s-slept on the f-floor a-after w-we saw his m-motive video. B-but I w-wasn’t g-going to watch mine, b-because… w-well that d-doesn’t m-matter.” After he had finished walking, Mitsumi quickly looked down at his hands in his lap.

“You didn’t have to sleep on the floor, Mitsumi,” were the first words that left Nishi’s lips, “honestly, I would have liked some company. After that video… I don’t know what to think…”

“Did we have the same video, big bro?” asked Saza cautiously, but Nishi just shrugged.

“I don’t really want to talk about it, Sazzy,” he mumbled despondently.

“Is there anyone who does want to talk about their video?” asked Tokunaga.

“I already talked about mine,” added Yoneda encouragingly, “and I do feel a little better for it. Of course, there’s no obligation-”

“You’re right, there is no obligation,” said Nishi firmly. He stood up from the table, his face red with anger.

“Nishi? What’s wrong?” asked Saza.

“None of you understands!” he shouted, making us all jump. “That video… it made no sense! Why is this happening?” He stood up, as did his sister.

“I understand, Nishi,” said Saza firmly, “I know how you feel.”

“No, you don’t, Saza,” retorted Nishi harshly, “you don’t know anything. You ran away, remember? You left your parents! Our parents! Don’t tell me you know how I feel when you don’t even care about who’s in your motive video in the first place!”

“Big bro…”

“I don’t want to hear it! I have to get out of the academy,” Nishi was almost talking to himself now, “I need to save my parents.” Without warning, he darted out of the room, followed swiftly by a very concerned Saza. Once the twins had left, nobody said a word for a short while, unsure of how to progress the conversation.

“I think I would like some breakfast now…” said Iowa finally, “does anyone want to join me?” A few of us decided to remain in the cafeteria with her and eat, but I chose to go to the library. I wanted to read more about the past killing games and see if I could discover any additional information that would help us figure out this academy’s secrets.

\---

An indescribable sensation came over me as I exited the elevator. The second floor of the school, which had been so bustling with activity yesterday evening, was now eerily silent. But it was an uncomfortable silence, and I felt as though I was being watched, or that there was another presence nearby. The air in the corridor felt heavy, as though some horrible aura had been spread thickly over it, suffocating the atmosphere of what should have been just an ordinary corridor. Unsettled, I quickly walked to the library.

When I went into the library, I immediately noticed something was wrong. My attention was caught by one of the shelves to the right of the room, the contents of which had almost been completely swiped onto the floor. Dozens of books were messily spread across the floor and I made my way over to them. I knelt down to analyse the books and saw they had come from the ‘R’ section of the library.

“_Racing… Royal Families… _" I read aloud, “_Random… Rhinoceros… RPGs…_” I stopped. _RPG? Where had I heard that acronym before? _Then I remembered. I was suddenly overcome with trepidation. “Oh no – Uehara!” I jumped onto my feet and bolted out of the library, leaving the books behind. _I need to go to Uehara’s room. _Then I recalled what Saza had said at breakfast – Uehara and Mina might have gone to the games room after seeing their motive videos. Since the games room was located next to the library, I decided to make a detour there first before going back to the first floor. I ran to the door to the games room, pushed open the door without pause and ran inside where I was greeted by a scene painted in red.

“I… was too late? No…” I couldn’t find the words to articulate the revulsion that circulated throughout my body as I took in the sight that lay before me. The games room, a room where two girls should have been playing and laughing, had now become a room where two girls were lying motionless, covered in blood. Mina Toru, the Ultimate Cryptozoologist and Uehara Tsuru, the Ultiamte RPG Player, had been murdered.

Before I even had time to scream, I was hit by a wave of dizziness. I fainted.

_I was too late. I let it happen again…_


	16. Game Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Apologies for the delay in publishing this chapter- I have been sick for about a month and have only just recovered. In that time, I haven't really been well enough to write, and unfortunately I fell ill just as I was about to write this chapter, which was particularly difficult.

I was awoken by a startling, cold sensation. Gasping for breath, I jolted and quickly opened my eyes. Someone had splashed water over my face.

“Oh, thank goodness, she’s awake!” I heard a voice, but my senses were still accommodating to a sensory overload.

“Alright, just give her some space. She needs to wake up properly,” said another voice, this one belonging to a man. _Where am I?_

“Ori?” I turned in the direction of the voice to see the concerned face of a red-headed man. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a raspy cough. “Hey, don’t exert yourself, you’ve been out for a little while now, take it easy.”

“Ugh,” I groaned, “what happened?” Suddenly, I saw a flash of red and I quickly sat up, which only further dizzied me.

“I told you to take it easy,” said the red-headed man sternly. I looked at him again, and slowly recognised him as Miyagawa. He wore a very concerned expression on his face; brows furrowed and wet eyes. _Has he been crying?_

“Where am I? What happened? I was in the games room… and then…” I put my hands to my mouth as I recalled what I had seen. I looked at Miyagawa, my eyes wide in horror.

“You’re in my room,” Miyagawa began to explain, “I brought you here when Yoneda and I found you fainted in the doorway. Yoneda stayed behind to wait for the others to arrive, while I carried you here.” I blushed at the image of Miyagawa carrying me and found myself wondering what it felt like to be that close to him. I shook my head. _Now isn’t the time for thinking about things like that,_ I scolded myself, _I need to go back to the games room._

“What I saw,” I replied, “did you see it too?” Miyagawa sighed loudly but nodded. I shuddered. “We have to go there.”

“Wait,” he ordered, “you just woke up from fainting. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“There’s a killer on the loose,” I retorted, “we need as many people investigating as possible.” As soon as I said this, I remembered that I had heard two voices when I woke up. I looked behind Miyagawa to see Mina. I screamed.

“Ori! What’s the matter?” cried Miyagawa worriedly.

“What’s she doing here? I found her in the games room!” I answered in a panic.

“Oh boy, I forgot about,” Miyagawa muttered. I looked at him, demanding an answer. “When we found you, we also found Mina in the games room, crying. I assume that that’s not what you saw?”

“No! She was dead when I went to the games room! How are you here?”

“I was unconscious,” Mina said quietly. Her voice was hoarse, which I assumed had come from the crying. “When I came to, my vision was blurry. I could make out Yoneda and Miyagawa panicking and trying to stir you. Then, Miyagawa pointed to something else in the room and Yoneda saw that I had woken up, but he was also distracted by something else. I turned and saw… _her_.” I gulped.

“After that,” Miyagawa continued, “Ouji and I brought you and Mina here. I’ve been looking after you both while the others investigate.” I took a few moments to control my breathing before saying anything.

“So, does that mean,” I began, “that Uehara is…?”

“Don’t say it!” screeched Mina, her eyes immediately welling.

“I think it’s best that we avoid discussing this for now,” interrupted Miyagawa, anxious to not provoke Mina. I stood up and brushed myself down with my hands. I was still feeling a little disoriented, but I tried to not show that weakness in front of Mina and Miyagawa.

“I want to help,” I said, “the more people that investigate, the easier it will be to find clues. Come on, let’s go.”

\---

About ten minutes later, the three of us were greeted with the familiar creaking of the school’s elevator as it opened the second floor to us. We stepped out and walked towards to the games room. As we approached, I turned to Mina.

“Are you going to be okay, Mina? You don’t have to come in with us.” The Ultimate Cryptozoologist shook her head.

“I’ve already seen what’s waiting for us in there,” Mina reminded me angrily, “I’m not as weak as I look.” I apologised and turned back towards the entrance to the games room, which was growing closer and closer. Once we reached the entrance to the room, I stopped and took a deep breath. _This is it,_ I thought, _another nightmare is waiting for me._

“Are you sure you’re alright, Ori?” I looked back at Miyagawa, a deep concern etched across his face._ I’ll never be alright._ I didn’t respond to his question and hesitantly pushed on the door to the games room.

“Ori? I thought Miyagawa was looking after you?” Ouji ran up to me and firmly embraced me. “I was so worried when we saw you fainted in the doorway! Are you okay?”

“Relax, Ouji, I’m fine,” I assured her, gently patting her back. She then let go of me and held my shoulders, tears threatening to fall from her face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s happened again, Ori,” she said dejectedly, “at first, I thought three of you had died – you, Mina and… wait, do you know?”

“It’s Uehara, isn’t it?” It was a simple question, but it held so much weight that the room suddenly became very uncomfortable. Ouji looked down.

“Yeah, it’s her. I’ve been looking at her body while the others investigate. Edward, Nishi and Mitsumi are in the music hall, Yoneda and Morino went to the library, Saza and Iowa are investigating the classrooms on this floor and Tokunaga is searching the games rooms with Morihei while I examine Uehara. Miyagawa and I took you and Mina down to his room when we realised you weren’t dead. I’m so happy to see you both.” Ouji went to hug Mina, who stepped back.

“Where is she?” Mina asked coldly. We were all taken aback by her sudden mood change, though I supposed it wasn’t all too surprising. Her best friend in our group was dead, and one of us had killed her and was now pretending to help in the investigation.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to go and look at her…”

“I also want to see her,” I interjected. Mina and Ouji looked at me in surprise. “I think I understand what you’re feeling, Mina. I want to confirm what I saw. Ouji, please. Take us to her.” Ouji still looked unsure, but Miyagawa put a hand on her shoulder.

“Everyone else has already seen her, Ouji. If Mina and Ori are going to help with the investigation, then they should probably see her.” Ouji reluctantly sighed and agreed to our request. We thanked her and followed her past the doorway to the games room, where the second victim of Seiko Academy’s killing game awaited us.

Despite the fact that I discovered Sanda’s body, the overwhelming repulsion and sickening feeling in my stomach that accompanies witnessing a dead friend is something I could never grow accustomed to. It was simply too horrifying to believe that one of us had done something so cruel to Uehara. In the centre of the room stood the billiards table, but the vivid green felt of the tabletop was now almost entirely stained a deep, dark red. The source of such a large amount of blood was the motionless body of Uehara Tsuru, the Ultimate RPG Player. She had been brutally impaled face-down through the neck with a long, thin spear-like object that I couldn’t identify. However, the way her body had been left disgusted me the most. The weapon had been forced all the way through the neck and into the billiards table, pinning her to the table by her neck. From the stomach down, she was limply hanging off the side of the table, and a small pool of dried blood had collected on the floor under her feet. I subconsciously brought a hand to my mouth as I took in the sight. Against my lips, my fingertips felt as cold as ice.

“As you can see,” began Ouji, snapping me out of my shock, “she was killed by that javelin through her neck. I’ve only been able to find one other external injury on her, which is a head wound caused by that cue over there.” Ouji pointed to the floor next to the pool of the blood, where a billiards cue that had been snapped in half had been left. Obviously, she was struck with the cue to make stabbing her easier. The killer murdered Uehara at some point during the night, after we had all returned to our rooms to watch our motive videos. That’s all I can really tell you; if you want more information, you should ask Tokunaga or Morihei.” She called over the pair and explained what had happened to Mina and I. They both looked concerned, then lowered their heads when asked if they had found anything.

“I am sorry,” replied Tokunaga, “but I no find nothing.”

“Yeah, it seems a pretty straightforward case of poor Uehara being knocked out and stabbed, and the killer fleeing from the scene of their crime. The choice in murder weapon is… bizarre, I must admit,” muttered Morihei sadly.

“Where would they have even gotten that item from?” I asked, puzzled.

“Probably the storeroom,” said Morihei, “that place is filled with so many random items, I don’t think it’s unlikely to assume that sporting equipment would be in there.”

“Well, maybe we should go and investigate the storeroom, and also go and let the others know that Ori and Mina are awake,” suggested Miyagawa. I agreed to his proposition, but Mina shook her head.

“I want to stay here with Uehara,” she said defiantly.

“Are you sure, Mina?” Tokunaga asked. Mina nodded.

“I want to be with her,” she muttered miserably, “I’m not much help in the investigations and the trials anyway. The least I can do is make sure her body is safe from any intrusion. Whoever did this to my friend… I want them to pay for it.” The way she had said the last part of her sentence sent chills down my spine. I couldn’t imagine what Mina was feeling. Rage? Agony? Confusion?

“In that case,” Morihei was saying, “I shall leave Tokunaga and Mina with you, Ouji. Do you two have an issue with me tagging along with your investigation?” The question was directed at Miyagawa and I, and we accepted.

“You were really helpful in the last trial, Morihei,” I remembered, “I’m sure that, between the three of us, we can figure out what happened to Uehara.”

“Any of you could be the killer,” warned Mina. I looked at her with surprise, but she simply shrugged.

“Now’s not the time to be doubting your friends, Mina,” said Miyagawa slowly.

“Don’t tell me what to do! One of our so-called friends is a _murderer_!” Mina shouted. We went silent.

“I didn’t mean it-”

“Don’t try and sugar-coat the situation at hand! Can you not see the massive javelin sticking out of our friend’s neck? Can you not see the copious amount of blood, or smell the fucking corpse on the billiards table? One of us killed her, of course I am going to doubt you! One of you killed my friend…” Mina’s words died out as she fell to her knees and started to weep uncontrollably into her hands.

“You guys should hurry and investigate,” said Ouji, who had knelt down to hold Mina.

“Monoworth no give much time for us, so be quick!” urged Tokunaga. With one last glance at the sobbing Mina, I left the games room with Miyagawa and Morihei. Once we were out of earshot, Morihei turned to Miyagawa.

“So, where should we start?”

“I think we should go and visit everyone who is investigating,” Miyagawa advised, “since only the three of us, Mina, Ouji and Tokunaga know that Mina and Ori have woken up.”

“I did want to ask Mina a couple of questions,” I said, “but those can wait, given the state she’s in.”

“Why do you want to ask Mina some questions?” asked Morihei.

“Well, I thought she was dead because I found her and Uehara at the same time,” I told her, “so I want to know why she was in the games room with a corpse. What does she remember about ending up in there? Miyagawa, did you ask her any questions when she woke up in the games room?” He shook his head.

“She was in no condition to be interrogated,” he said firmly, “and then by the time she had fully woken up, you started stirring. There hasn’t really been any time to ask her any questions.”

“Not to worry,” I assured them both, “let’s go find the others, and then we can come back and see if she’s ready to answer some questions. I think Ouji mentioned that Yoneda and Morino were in the library, shall we start there?”

\---

“Ori! You’re alright,” Yoneda eagerly bound over to me and hugged me. I awkwardly returned the hug, but I was also amused to see that Miyagawa’s body had stiffened and an irritated glare was directed at Yoneda, who was oblivious.

“Yes, but I had only fainted,” I laughed.

“It’s good to see you’re still with us,” said Morino, who had stopped investigating to walk over to us.

“Don’t tell me that even you were worried about Ori,” said Morihei jokingly.

“I didn’t say that…” _Wow, he really knows how to make people feel good,_ I thought to myself sarcastically.

“So, what brings you to the library?” asked Yoneda.

“Ouji told us the two of you were investigating here,” Morihei explained, “we came to see if you had found anything.” Yoneda thought for a moment.

“Sorry, but we couldn’t really see anything that might be related to the crime. We did find something out of place, but…”

“Yoneda, if you found something,” Miyagawa pressed, “even if it’s something minor, then tell us.” Yoneda bit his lip nervously but agreed to show us what they’d found. He turned to Morino.

“Morino, you found them…” he began, but Morino cut him off.

“Very well. Follow me.” We silently walked with Morino the furthest section of the library. Once there, he pointed to the floor of the ‘R’ section of the library, where about two dozen books looked like they had been unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

“You found some books on the floor?” Miyagawa asked sceptically.

“They’re probably not related to the crime itself,” admitted Morino, “but they were the only thing that stood out since we began investigating the room.”

“I have practically learnt the layout of the room by heart,” added Yoneda proudly, “so I would have noticed anything else. But it’s strange…”

“What is strange?” I questioned.

“Well,” Yoneda replied, “I spend a lot of my free time in here. The only times I haven’t been here are during breakfast, the music contest and after the music contest. Those books must have fallen off the shelf after the music concert, because they weren’t like that beforehand.”

“Are you sure of that?” asked Morihei, examining the books’ covers.

“Absolutely, I would have put them back if I had found them like that earlier.”

“So, somebody came to the library during the night,” concluded Morino, “but at the moment, it’s impossible to know who came here, nor why they did. And we still don’t know if it’s related to Uehara.”

“Maybe Uehara came here for some reading,” I suggested.

“Uehara didn’t seem like the type to read,” said Morino, “but for now let’s keep our options open. Are you guys going to investigate other places?”

“Yeah, we’re doing a lap of the second floor to let everyone know Mina and Ori are okay,” explained Miyagawa.

“Mina’s awake too?” asked Yoneda excitedly. I nodded, and explained she was staying in the games room with Ouji. Yoneda couldn’t hide his concern at Mina staying by Uehara’s body, but he was happy that she was okay.

“Well, I think that clears up everything here,” started Miyagawa, who had begun to head back towards the entrance, “if you guys find anything else, send us a message on the Seiko-pad.”

“Another thing,” I added, “could you take a photo of those books, just in case?”

“Already done,” said Morino dryly, as though taking a photo of the books had been the most obvious thing to do. I thanked him, which he didn’t acknowledge. Seeing that the conversation was over, I bid Yoneda and Morino farewell and left with Miyagawa and Morihei.

“What is that guy’s problem?” asked Morihei bluntly once we had left. “Does he not know how to smile or something?”

“He’s not that bad,” I defended, “he just isn’t good with people.”

“Well, as long as he has that attitude, he’s always going to seem suspicious…” Morihei trailed off.

“Morihei,” warned Miyagawa, “you shouldn’t be thinking like that. Besides, I wouldn’t say I know you overly well. In fact, I haven’t really seen you hang out with anyone since we’ve been here.”

“That’s because I’m trapped inside a school that’s trying to force me to commit murder,” Morihei retorted, “I don’t know when someone’s going to disappear forever, so I’m trying to not get too attached to you all. Survival first, friendships second.”

“But if you don’t want to become friends with us, don’t you fall under the same bracket as Morino in terms of being suspicious?” countered Miyagawa. Morihei went silent, and I tried not to pay too much attention to the conversation. _We have more important things to worry about now,_ I thought, _the identity of the killer will reveal itself to us. It has to, for Uehara’s sake._ White they bickered, I led them to the music hall, where Edward, Nishi and Mitsumi were supposed to be conducting their search. We went inside and all three turned in surprise to see us standing there.

“Ori!” Nishi and Mitsumi ran over to greet us, while Edward walked slowly.

“Why are you here? I thought Miyagawa was looking after you,” said Nishi worriedly. I chuckled at his concern.

“I’m fine, Nishi, I just fainted,” I told him.

“A-are you investigating, then?” asked Mitsumi. We nodded.

“We went to see Ouji and… Uehara,” I began solemnly, “then we left Mina there and Morihei joined Miyagawa and I in our search. We’re just going round the second floor to get an update on what people found.”

“Well, we may have to disappoint you,” said Edward, who looked frustrated, “we couldn’t find anything in the music hall. Though, that doesn’t surprise me; Uehara was killed in the games room, right?”

“That’s what Ouji seems to think,” agreed Morihei, “and since she was stabbed in the neck like that, it seems likely that the crime took place solely in the games room.”

“Which reminds me,” said Miyagawa, “we need to check the storeroom to see if the javelin came from there.”

“We should make that a priority,” said Edward, “we don’t know when those bears are going to stop our investigation.”

“In that case, I’ll go look now,” stated Miyagawa, “Edward, do you mind coming with me?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” smiled the prince, “shall we get going? The storeroom is quite large, we’ll probably spend a lot of time in there. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Morihei, look after Ori for me,” requested Miyagawa, “I mean, for all of us! Because… well, see you later!” He hurried out of the room and I giggled. Even in a serious situation like this, he can make me smile. I returned my attention to Nishi and Mitsumi, the former of whom was giving me a knowing look. I shrugged.

“So, you guys said you didn’t find anything?” I questioned.

“That’s r-right,” confirmed Mitsumi, “w-we even w-went b-b-backstage to l-look at the instruments from the c-contest, b-but there was nothing there.”

“I’ve never looked backstage, now that I think about it,” mused Morihei, “do you guys mind if we look there?”

“By all means,” said Nishi, gesturing for us to follow him onstage. We all followed the Ultimate Tattoo Artist behind the stage. He pressed a switch on the wall and the room was enveloped in a dim, mustard-yellow light. The room itself wasn’t particularly extraordinary; it was dusty, dingy and had a pungent scent of damp. Instruments were littered around the floor and walls, laid atop wooden crates or discarded on metal shelves. In contrast to the extravagance of the last evening, I was surprised to see that all the equipment was left in such a murky and poorly-kept room. _An Ultimate Maid would be really useful here_, I joked to myself. In the centre of the backstage area stood the grand piano that Edward had used to perform his melancholy piece the night before. I walked over to it and silently stroked my fingers over the keys; I knew nothing about music, nor how to play any instruments, but I had always admired those who could. I was so amazed at my classmates’ performances last night that it had felt wrong to score them when they all performed so well. I pressed down on one of the ivory keys and a dull tone echoed throughout the room. I pressed another, and then the next one, and went down, the notes going lower and lower as I traced the left-hand side of the piano. Then the notes stopped.

“What?” I looked down at my hand. My finger was still pressed down on a key, but no sound had come out. I pushed on it again, but no sound came from the piano. To make sure my ears were working, I pressed it a third time to be met with the same result. _Why is this not working?_ I called over the others and asked them if they knew about the broken piano.

“The piano isn’t working?” asked Morihei, her voice betraying suspicion, “but it was working fine when Edward was playing yesterday.”

“That’s why I find it so odd – how did a piano break in twenty-four hours?” I showed them how when I pressed one key and all the others to its left, no sound was coming out the piano.

“M-maybe we should l-look inside?” suggested Mitsumi weakly.

“I agree with Mitsumi,” said Nishi, “there has to be a reason for this.” With relative ease, Nishi lifted the lid on the piano and propped it up. He then leaned over and inspected the inside of the piano, his eyes slowly and carefully scanning over the thousands of parts contained within. Suddenly his eyes widened, and his brow furrowed in confusion. He reached for something near the hammers and cautiously pulled on something.

“This is… why is that there…?” he murmured to himself. With a sharp tug, he yanked a weird brown object from the piano. I pressed the keys on the piano and, as expected, dulcet tones filled the room.

“That thing was stopping the piano from sounding,” I cried, “but what is that?”

“It’s some sort of hemp bag, or a sack,” said Nishi, unfolding the object, which had clearly been packed compactly inside the piano. He held it out for us to see and Mitsumi, Morihei and I all gasped.

“Is that… blood?” Morihei whispered in horror. Confused, Nishi flipped the sack around to see what we had seen and reacted in a similar way.

“Why w-was a s-sack in the p-piano? And why is there b-blood o-on iiiiit?” wailed Mitsumi, covering his eyes. I walked over to Nishi and asked to the take the sack from him. He passed it to me with shaking hands and I frowned at it.

“Look, guys,” I said, showing them one side of the sack, “this side is completely spotless. While this side… is completely caked in blood.”

“You’re right, but what does that mean?” asked Nishi.

“Multiple things,” I said gravely, “firstly, the sack being here means that it is inextricably linked to Uehara’s death. This blood is probably hers, and the killer tried to hide this sack in the piano.”

“But why is there blood on it?” pressed Morihei. I looked closely at the sack and saw that there were lots of stray strands of the fabric. It was then that I noticed another peculiarity.

“Look here,” I hushed, “there are holes in the sack.” I pried open the top of the sack, then the sides, and finally the bottom. Holes that measured about the length of a hand were cut out of the top and sides of the sack, while the seam on the bottom had been completely torn apart.

“I s-still d-don’t understand what this m-means,” whimpered Mitsumi.

“Well,” I began, “I have a pretty good idea of why and how it was used. But I think we should wait until the trial, so we can all discuss it together. For now, I’ll leave it with you two.” I returned the sack to Nishi, who immediately placed it on the piano and started to take photos with his Seiko-pad. I turned to Morihei and suggested we go to the storeroom and meet with Edward and Miyagawa, which she agreed to. Leaving the boys to look over the gruesome find, we swiftly headed to storeroom. Along the way, Morihei confronted me about the music hall discovery.

“You know exactly why that sack was used, don’t you?” she accused.

“The killer probably used it,” I conceded, “to stop themselves from being covered in blood when they stabbed Uehara. Those holes looked big enough to fit somebody’s arms and head. But what’s odd to me is that it was in the music room. Until now, my assumption was that the crime took place solely in the games room, but this changes everything.”

“Uehara went to the music room?” asked Morihei.

“I didn’t say that, but it’s a possibility,” I admitted. “It doesn’t make much sense, given how she was murdered. For now, we should focus on gathering evidence before trying to paint a full picture of what happened.”

“You’re awfully calm given the severity of the situation,” remarked Morihei. I raised my eyebrow at her as we continued to head towards the storeroom.

“I could say the same for you,” I countered, “but we have to be calm. The others are relying on us to solve this mystery. If we don’t stay calm, we’ll miss crucial clues and information. We will have time to mourn the loss of Uehara, but right now time is ticking. Monoworth is bound to start the trial before too long.” Satisfied with my answer, Morihei nodded as we arrived at the storeroom. Upon entering, I took in the sheer size of the place; I estimated the room to be at least two storeys high, with shelves stacking various and unrelated items above one another. Buckets and mops would be just one shelf below boxes of sewing materials, and below them were an assortment of differently-coloured duffel bags. The storeroom was so poorly lit that it was impossible to see the back wall from the entrance. We called out Edward and Miyagawa’s names and they instructed us to come to the back of the room, as they had found the location of the javelins. We rushed over to see they had found some flashlights and were shining the beams against the wall, which had several mounts for sporting equipment such as canoeing oars, ribbons used for rhythmic gymnastics and a few mounts for javelins.

“You guys found the javelins!” I cheered.

“Indeed, and it seems that there is one missing,” remarked Edward, who shone his beam over the wall, highlighting an empty mount by the other javelins.

“At least we figured out that the murder weapon came from here,” noted Miyagawa, “which means that the killer came here before they murdered Uehara.” A flash of puzzlement flicked across Miyagawa’s expression; it had been so fleeting that, in the faint glow of the flashlights’ reflection I almost didn’t notice it. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but before I could, Edward had turned to Morihei and I.

“What did you guys talk to Mitsumi and Nishi about?” he asked.

“We wanted to look backstage,” explained Morihei, “Ori and I were judges for the contest, so we hadn’t seen that part of the music hall.”

“Did that talent of yours let you find any clues?” joked Miyagawa.

“Actually,” I said smugly, “we did find something.” Both boys looked at me in shock and my grin only widened.

“Are you serious?”

“Very serious,” I said, “we found something inside the piano, underneath the hammers.”

“What was it?” pressed the boys.

“We think it’s a vegetable sack, but it was covered in blood,” Morihei told them, “we believe the blood is Uehara’s.”

“Wait,” interrupted Edward, “so the killer went to the games room, the music hall and the storeroom for this case. Isn’t that really risky? They could have been caught at any point.”

“Well, Hatanaka also took similar risks when he decided to kill Sanda,” I pointed out. “Remember, nobody who came to this academy is a known murderer; mistakes are almost guaranteed.”

“I have another question,” interposed Morihei, “where did that sack actually come from?”

“I would imagine from this place,” Miyagawa suggested, scanning his torch across the room. We resolved to search the storeroom as a group of four, so Morihei and I grabbed a flashlight each and we all scoured the room, hoping to find some similar looking sacks. I found some smaller ones which held packets of marbles, but nothing that matched the size of the one we had found in the piano. We all gathered near the entrance, but no one had been able to find anything that met the description of what I had found in the music hall.

“Nobody found anything?” I asked incredulously. The others shook their heads.

“But where does that leave us? The sack was definitely used during the crime,” Morihei asked, puzzled.

“Did you not describe it as a vegetable sack, Morihei? Perhaps Iowa might know something – it might have come from the kitchen?”

“That’s a good point,” Miyagawa agreed, “she knows the kitchen better than anyone, she would have noticed that it had gone missing. Besides, you haven’t told them you’re awake yet, have you Ori?” I shook my head.

“Then shall we head over to the classrooms?” proposed Morihei.

“I think you should,” agreed Edward, “Miyagawa and I will continue to search for the sack in here, just in case Iowa can’t identify it.” Morihei put our flashlights away, bid farewell to Edward and Miyagawa and proceeded to Classroom 2-B, where we guessed Saza and Iowa would be.

“So, what do we think about the movements of the killer,” Morihei queried. I began to list the places the killer had been.

“They went to the storeroom to pick up the javelin, then went to the games room to kill Uehara. After that, they went to music hall and hid the sack in the piano. But I feel like we’re missing something…”

“Really?” Morihei asked in a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

“I can’t explain it,” I trailed off. _Why do I think there’s more to this crime than what I just explained? The crime should be straightforward, so what is this uncertain feeling I have? _

“Well, whatever it is that you think we’ve missed,” said Morihei with a light chuckle, “let’s hope that talent of yours will bring the truth to the surface.” I laughed nervously, unsure whether using my extreme luck to solve murders was a good thing.

Once we got to Classroom 2-B, Saza and Iowa were over the moon to see that I was feeling better, and just as delighted to hear that Mina was also fine. Morihei and I hastily went over our discoveries in the investigation and asked if they had found anything in either classroom.

“Sadly not,” said Iowa, lowering her head.

“In some ways, I’m glad we didn’t find anything,” added Saza.

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“Well, you’ve found evidence in pretty much every room you’ve been in, right? If we had found anything in these classrooms, then that would have complicated the crime even more.” Saza made a good point, but the uncomfortable feeling that had subsided a little came back. _What have we missed?_

“That reminds me,” said Morihei, “we couldn’t find any identical sacks to the one we found in the piano. Iowa, are there sacks in the kitchen?” The Ultimate Chocolatier hummed in affirmation.

“Mainly for storing vegetables! Why do you ask?”

“When you were in the kitchen this morning, did you notice whether any were missing?” Iowa thought for a moment, then a look of realisation dawned on her face.

“That’s right! When I went there to make breakfast for everyone, I had to clear up a lot of potatoes that I found on the ground. I didn’t think anything of it at the time – I just assumed that someone had knocked them over last night when they were cooking some food after watching their motive video.”

“So, the sack came from the kitchen – where does that leave us?” asked Saza.

“In an even more confused state of affairs than before…” I realised. Not only had our killer travelled to several different rooms on the second floor, but they had also risked getting caught on both available floors of the academy. _Why take so many risks to commit such an elaborate crime? _My musings were interrupted as the familiar blaring of a siren wailed throughout the school, followed by the hauntingly maniacal laughter of Monomenon.

“My dearest and most darling students,” he began, “although it is incredibly amusing to watch you flutter around the school like baffled little butterflies, I must inform you that time for investigation has now ended! Please make your way to the elevator immediately so that we may begin the second, heart-pounding class trial. Goodness me! I’m so excited I might leak some bear oil!” There was a clicking sound and the bear’s voice stopped.

“So, this is it,” said Iowa. It was a very simple remark, but we all knew how much weight those words carried. Over the next few hours, we would be faced with another horrible outcome of the class trial. One of us had given in to the pressure of the killing game and murdered their friend – it was now our job to find out who had done such a heinous act and betrayed the trust of our group. _I know what we all saw in those motive videos was horrifying, but were they reason enough for murder?_ Then there was the result of the trial to consider – in the same way the killer sacrificed one of us to escape, we were now faced with the task of sacrificing another to survive. The four of us made our way to the doors to the elevator, where most of the others were already waiting. I looked at everyone’s faces; most of us wore the same mixed expression of fear, confusion and panic. However, I did note that Morino, rather expectedly, had his normal stoic expression, Ouji’s betrayed mortification, while Mina looked more determined and angry than I had ever seen her. She was clearly set on discovering the identity of her best friend’s murderer. I made a silent prayer that she didn’t lose sight of what the trial was for and blindly accuse everybody who was remotely suspicious. At that moment, I didn’t know who had killed Uehara, but the unnerving sensation that had followed me since I found the sack in the music hall rested heavily in my stomach. I did not know why, but my gut instinct on this second class trial was that it was going to have a truly awful finale, just like our Ultimate Concert. This trial was our encore, and the performance could only end with one more death.


	17. The Unthinkable Suspect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I just wanted to write a quick note before the second trial gets underway. Firstly, thank you to everyone who has shown their support for this fangan project so far, I'm very grateful to each and every one of you! Please feel free to write feedback at the end of chapters, because I would love to know what you guys think!  
Secondly, I am very excited to announce that on my Twitter account for this project (@DanganHyper), I will be presenting some brand new artwork and character bios done for the characters, done by the amazingly talented @sauveurtb on Twitter! If you aren't already following me or them, you totally should just so you get to see the awesome work that has been done!  
Finally, a few words on this trial. It is much more complicated than I had first thought, so I believe it will have to be split into four chapters; I had originally planned on making every trial two chapters, but to break things up more evenly, I think it is better to split it over four. I'm also on vacation from December 6th-9th, so no chapters will be uploaded during this time.
> 
> Thank you all so much once again! Puhuhu!

Our second journey to the trial ground was just as ominous and unsettling as the first. The majority of us remained silent as the creaking of metal and gears screeched and groaned in our ears. I noticed that Ouji and Miyagawa were engrossed in a small discussion, but the elevator was too loud to make out any words that were exchanged. Instead, I focused my thoughts on what was coming. The second trial. Someone – one of us – had killed Uehara and had done so in such a cruel manner that part of me wished that one of the bears had done it. I glanced over at Mina; she was still shaking with rage. Her best friend at the school had been murdered, and she had been attacked in the process. I wondered how I would have felt in her situation and found my eyes returning to look at Miyagawa. I felt a small pain in my chest. I sighed. _What will this trial reveal? I can’t even think of anyone who might be a prime suspect based on the evidence alone_. Finally, the creaking of metal slowed and any murmuring among our group ceased. The huge doors opened to reveal to us once again the trial grounds, a place where we had already sentenced one of our friends to their execution. A place where a fight for our lives resulted in the sacrifice of another. A chill spread throughout my body as I stepped into the haunting confines of the trial hall. Then the laughter started.

“Welcome, students,” cheered Monomenon gleefully, “I see you all made it to the trial hall, ready for another debate. I’m so excited, Monoworth had to wipe me down with a rag because I was leaking from absolutely _everywhere_.”

“Yes… it was a rather unpleasant task,” murmured Monoworth miserably, “I can only hope that this trial will be very pleasant. What do you say, students?” Nobody responded, and we instead just made our way to our podiums and waited for the two bears to stop their quarrel. To my horror, I noticed that the empty spaces left by the absence of Sanda, Hatanaka and Uehara had been replaced by portraits of their faces, each one standing at roughly the same height of the person they depicted. The three portraits were also graffitied; a large red cross had been painted over their faces, as if to remind us of the finality of their absence. Their presence was unsettling, but I was greatly angered that the bears would dare flaunt our friends’ deaths at us by erecting the portraits.

“What’s the meaning of these?” I demanded furiously, pointing at the portraits. Monomenon tilted his head in confusion.

“You don’t like them? I thought you would want your friends to be present with you in spirit while you debate.”

“And the graffiti?”

“Oh that! Well, I was trying to paint hearts around their faces.”

“But hearts do not look like crosses at all,” said Tokunaga, puzzled.

“That’s because I am artistically challenged,” roared Monomenon with laughter, “I completely forgot that I’m a bear and can’t paint!”

“Just ignore those bastards,” growled Mina, and we turned to her. She was looking down at the floor, her fists balled and pressed firmly against her cheeks. She was swaying from side to side a little and shaking her head.

“Mina?” I said tentatively.

“All that matters,” she snarled, “is that we find the bastard that did this to Uehara. One of you did it, and I will not rest until we find that person. Whoever the culprit is - you're dead!” Everyone was stunned into silence by the ferocity of Mina’s comments. In truth, her attitude concerned me – class trials are a time when we need to focus and think logically and calmly. Although I understood how upset she was, I was worried that she would hastily jump from one conclusion to another, and that that attitude would be an obstacle in how smoothly this trial would go. But as I thought about all my worries, Mina started sobbing. “It’s just not fair,” she whimpered, “why did one of you kill her? Why did she have to die? It’s not fair…” Nobody had an answer to her question. I bowed my head as her crying continued. “One of you did this… and I know it’s because of those stupid motive videos. But why did it have to be Uehara, and why would you kill her so horribly…? I don’t understand – I don’t understand it at all.”

“Mina, you need to stay calm,” said Morino firmly, “the truth will reveal itself today, of that you can be sure. But I must be frank – if you’re going to cry and wail throughout the trial, that will not be of any help to us. If you want to track down the killer, then fight for the truth, don’t wallow in the loss – that will come after. That’s what we did with Sanda and Hatanaka, and that’s what we’ll do again.” Mina recoiled at the harshness of Morino’s words, but I couldn’t help but agree with him. If we were going to make sure that Uehara’s death wasn’t in vain, then we have to find the identity of the culprit. If we lost focus on the truth, we would all die.

“If your plucky lot has finished your emotional little preamble,” groaned Monomenon, “then can we please start the trial?”

“Very well,” agreed Morino, “shall we start in the same way as the last one? Ouji, do you want to give us your autopsy?”

“Of course,” the Ultimate Naturalist seemed a lot calmer in comparison to the last trial, but I couldn’t decide if this was a good or bad thing; it was nice to see she wasn’t upset, but was that because she had started to get accustomed to looking at corpses?

“Won’t the autopsy results be pretty self-explanatory,” asked Morihei, “since we all saw the massive javelin sticking out of Uehara, right?”

“That wasn’t all that there was to this crime,” retorted Ouji irritably, “if you’ll care to hear me out. As Morihei already mentioned, the murder weapon was a stab wound through the neck with a javelin. The javelin was also stabbed into the billiards table, acting as a makeshift pin between Uehara’s body and the tabletop.”

“That’s so fucking messed up,” murmured Nishi, “I can’t believe someone here would do that.”

“There’s another thing,” added Ouji sadly, “it seems that killer did take a small mercy on Uehara before she died.”

“A s-small m-mercy?” asked Mitsumi.

“Yes, if you look at the crime scene,” as she spoke, Ouji pressed her Seiko-pad’s screen and a photo of the gruesome state of Uehara’s body flashed on my own, “there was also a broken billiards cue found on the floor by the table. When I looked at Uehara’s body for external wounds, I found a blunt trauma to the back of her head which I believe came from a strike with the billiards cue. I’m guessing that the killer knocked Uehara out with the cue before stabbing her.”

“If she was unconscious before she was stabbed,” I thought aloud, “then that would have made stabbing her in such a precise way much easier.”

“So, the murder took place inside the games room,” said Saza.

“That would make sense,” Yoneda agreed, “she spent almost all of her free time in there.” I had my doubts. _Was it really as simple as that? Had the crime really only taken place in the games room?_

“If I may,” I interrupted, “but I don’t think we should narrow down our crime scene to the games room just yet.”

“What are you talking about, Ori?” asked Edward.

“What are you confused about? The crime clearly took place in the games room,” said Saza.

“I’m not confused about anything,” I argued, “but I think it’s too early to make such generalising claims such as where the crime took place. I think we should discuss the incident from start to finish and see what we can uncover from that.”

“Ori did help us a lot in the first trial,” mused Yoneda, “so maybe we should trust her judgement this time as well.” I smiled at him in thanks and began the next line of discussion.

“I guess we should start with last night, when we all went to our rooms following the revelation of the second Motive Day by Monoworth and Monomenon.”

“I d-didn’t go back t-to my r-room,” reminded Mitsumi.

“That’s right, he stayed with me,” confirmed Nishi, “so we went to my room and watched my motive video.”

“M-maybe we should have g-gone to m-my room instead…” whispered Mitsumi, but before I could ask him what he had meant by that, Edward continued the discussion of the group’s movements.

“Because Mitsumi went to Nishi’s room, he is the only one of us without a motive, per se. However, there is another problem with this crime in terms of where everyone was.”

“How do you mean?” asked Iowa.

“Well, since everyone was guaranteed to have been located in the same area of the school at the same time, it will be harder for us to pinpoint the identity of the killer because nobody was in an opportune place to carry out the crime.”

“In other words,” Miyagawa added, “everyone’s alibis start at the same place. Therefore, if anybody saw another member of the group during the night, then that is an alibi of sorts.”

“Did the killer use this fact as an advantage?” suggested Yoneda curiously.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” answered Morino with a shrug, “I agree with Ori; this case is more complicated than what it seems at first. Our killer was smart.”

“They also had a larger time frame to work with than Hatanaka in the last case,” I mentioned, “so we can assume the killer was probably acting a little more cautiously. But we’re getting side-tracked – where were we?”

“We had just mentioned that everyone had returned to their rooms,” started Saza, “but what happened after that?”

“I think that,” replied Tokunaga, “the killer go to second floor and wait for Uehara there.”

“Then Uehara and Mina went to the second floor and that’s when the killer struck, killing Uehara and knocking out Mina,” said Iowa grimly.

“The next morning, we were all present at breakfast except Uehara and Mina,” said Yoneda thoughtfully.

“I then went to the second floor,” I continued, “and decided to look for Mina and Uehara, who I assumed had gone to the games room. When I went there, I found them both. I originally thought that they were both dead, but I didn’t get the opportunity to check as I fainted.”

“Yoneda and I then found Ori collapsed in the doorway,” added Miyagawa solemnly, “and then we saw Uehara and Mina and called over the others. Once Ouji arrived, the body discovery announcement played, and the others soon come to the games room. Ouji and I took Mina and Ori down to my dormitory where I looked after them both.”

“I returned to the games room to carry out my autopsy,” verified Ouji, “and then we split into investigative groups. Tokunaga and Morihei stayed with me in the games room as watchmen, but also to check the games room for clues.”

“I w-went to the m-music hall with Nishi and Edward,” mumbled Mitsumi, “though Edward l-left with Miyagawa to go t-to the s-storeroom when Ori h-had w-woken up.”

“I went to the library with Yoneda,” stated Morino dryly.

“Iowa and I investigated the classrooms on the second floor,” concluded Saza, with Iowa nodding to confirm her friend’s testimony.

“That’s pretty much the incident from start to finish,” said Nishi, “but I don’t really see anything out of the ordinary.”

“Actually, I disagree with that, Nishi,” I countered, “there are quite a few gaps in our knowledge of the sequence of events.”

“Really?” Saza asked in surprise.

“Would you care to elaborate on that, Ori?” requested Morihei.

“I’m not the right person to ask,” I announced, “rather, let’s ask the only person who would know the answers – Mina.”

“Me?” she asked in confusion.

“Of course,” I said, “other than the killer and the victim, you are the only person that we know was on the second floor of the school during the crime.”

“That would mean you are privy to information that the rest of us are not,” surmised Edward, “so we will have to rely on your testimony.”

“Well, my memory is a little fuzzy since I was attacked,” murmured Mina in thought, “but I know that Uehara and I had agreed to meet after we had watched our motive videos. We were both really upset by what we saw, so we decided to go to the music hall to write some more songs to cheer ourselves up.”

“So, what time did you go to the music hall?” asked Yoneda.

“I would say that I got there at half past eleven last night, which was the agreed meeting time,” Mina replied.

“You two didn’t go together? Did you not think about safety in numbers?” questioned Iowa in shock.

“I must admit, the prospect of one of my friends trying to murder us didn’t really cross our minds,” replied Mina, rolling her eyes.

“Nonetheless, Iowa raises a good point,” said Miyagawa, “it is strange that you two didn’t go to the second floor together.”

“Well, we never went anywhere together.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nishi with a frown.

“What I mean is that even though Uehara and I spent all our time together, we never went to the places we hung out together. I always went to the rendezvous point first, and then I would send a message to Uehara for her to make her way over to me.”

“That’s… very oddly specific,” remarked Morino, “is there any particular reason why you do that?”

“Pottery.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Uehara hates pottery of any kind,” said Mina matter-of-factly, “so I always clear the route of anything she might consider pottery, otherwise she’ll go berserk and try to smash everything to pieces.”

“She… really would behave like that?” I asked in disbelief, but Mina just shrugged.

“I never actually saw her that way, so I can’t say whether it’s true. However, it was something that Uehara herself warned me about, so I didn’t want to take the risk.”

“Okay, so what happened after you arrived at the music hall?” I pressed, willing the conversation to move away from Uehara’s hatred of crockery.

“Well, once I sent her a message, I waited for Uehara for about thirty minutes before I decided to go looking for her. That was probably around midnight. I started by going to the library, where someone grabbed me from behind and knocked me out by choking me.”

“You didn’t manage to get a glimpse of who it was, did you?” asked Saza.

“No, they attacked me from behind and choked me,” said Mina with a shiver. “When I woke up, Miyagawa and Yoneda were looking over Ori on the ground. By that point, Uehara had long been dead…”

“P-poor Uehara…” sobbed Mitsumi, “I would have l-liked to have b-been b-better f-friends with her.”

“There’s no use saying that now! She’s gone, and now you’ve suddenly decided you miss her?” exclaimed Mina.

“Mina, calm down,” commanded Morino, but she shook her head.

“No! Don’t tell me to calm down when you guys are treating Uehara’s death like we haven’t loss a friend! Don’t tell me that _now _you wish you had been better friends with her; someone even decided that she deserved to die!”

“That’s not what we’re saying,” Iowa began, but Mina cut her off.

“I was the only one that cared about Uehara! I was her only friend in this academy! How dare you try and claim you _wished _you were friends with her, when you were all anything but!” Tears threatened to burst from Mina’s eyes as she screamed and screamed at us, and we were all powerless to say anything that would make her listen to reason. But I couldn’t refute what she said about our friendship with Uehara; I hadn’t been close to her, nor did I know much about her.

“Just because we weren’t close with Uehara doesn’t make us your enemy, Mina,” said Ouji, “besides, Uehara was at least lucky enough to have you as a friend. Sanda didn’t have that when Hatanaka killed her.”

“Ouji…” I said, but she held up her hand and I closed my mouth. Mina turned her furious and pained stare to the Ultimate Naturalist.

“When we were doing Sanda’s trial, no one would have truthfully said that they had been close to her. But not being best friends with someone is a far cry from wishing they were dead. When I realised that Hatanaka had used me to try and get away with his crime, it nearly broke me – not because I had feelings for him, but I did have the closest relationship with him. Then, just a day later, I had to send him to his execution. Mina, you and Uehara were blessed enough to have met each other before she was taken away from us, but these class trials are not a place to vent our grievances. I couldn’t scream or cry over the loss of Hatanaka until the trial ended, and I think you should do the same. You need to be strong for the memory of your friend, then we can cry together, okay?” Mina was silent for a few moments; Ouji’s words has rendered us all speechless, and I felt my face heat up as I fought back my own tears. _She’s right,_ I thought, _for Uehara’s sake, for the sake of everyone who has died, we have to be strong and fight through this trial_.

“O-okay, fine,” whimpered Mina, “I’ll help out. I’ll be strong. I’m sorry, everyone, for derailing the debate.”

“It’s okay, Mina,” said Saza, “we can do this!”

“I _really _hate this mushy stuff” interrupted Monomenon abruptly “when do I get to execute someone?”

“Be silent,” commanded Nishi venomously. Monomenon pretended to recoil in his seat.

“He’s right, though,” said Tokunaga, “we have to find out who the culprit is, otherwise we will all die. What were we talking about?”

“Mina had just finished telling us that the killer attacked her from behind, choking her to unconsciousness. She had woken up to see Yoneda and Miyagawa attempting to wake up Ori,” recounted Morino immediately. _Show-off_.

“Something’s been bothering me about the attack on Mina,” said Morihei thoughtfully.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Why did the culprit even attack her in the first place? She had been waiting in the music hall and then went to the library, but the crime took place in the games room. There was no reason for the killer to head in that direction after they stabbed Uehara.”

“N-no, they d-did have a reason, Morihei,” said Mitsumi in disagreement, “you f-found it w-with Nishi, Ori and I.”

“You’re talking about this, right?” asked Nishi, and the screen on my Seiko-pad flashed and an image of the bloodied sack appeared.

“Of course! I had forgotten about this…” murmured Morihei in embarrassment.

“What on earth is that?” exclaimed Edward in surprise.

“It’s drenched in blood!” shouted Tokunaga

“This is a sack that we found this in the music hall,” explained Nishi, “it had been stuffed inside the piano backstage.”

“We have testimonies from Miyagawa, Edward and Iowa regarding its origin,” I added, “the boys weren’t able to find anything similar in the storeroom when they investigated there, while Iowa confirmed afterwards that the sack had come from the kitchen area, and had originally been a container for potatoes.”

“But what does it have to do with the killer attacking me?” asked Mina.

“To answer that question, we should think about when and why the sack was used,” answered Morino.

“When and why?” asked Saza.

“Presumably it was used during the crime,” suggested Yoneda unsurely. I nodded.

“I agree, I believe the killer used it during the crime. Firstly, the blood was only splattered on one side of the sack. Secondly, if you look closely, you can see that there are large holes cut into the top, sides and bottom of the sack,” I pointed to the image on my Seiko-pad, indicating the perforations.

“Isn’t a hole-filled vegetable sack a bit… useless?” asked Saza.

“Not if the holes didn’t appear until after the sack was removed from the kitchen,” I countered.

“Which leads us onto why the sack was used,” continued Morino, “if we look at the location and size of the holes, the pattern of the blood, and the fact that we believe it was used during the crime, there is really only one possible use for the sack.”

“I don’t really understand…” admitted Iowa.

“Those holes… they look like you could fit your head through them – did the killer wear the sack?” Yoneda asked.

“Yoneda’s right,” said Miyagawa, “the killer probably wore the sack to stop blood from getting on their regular clothes. Since they would have to return to the first floor after committing their crime, they couldn’t risk getting covered in blood because they were more likely to be discovered on the first floor than on the second.”

“But I still don’t understand how wearing a potato sack relates to attacking Mina in the library,” persisted Iowa, becoming red with embarrassment.

“I was just about to explain that,” said Morino dryly.

“Oh, sorry,” muttered Iowa, but Morino ignored her.

“The killer probably encountered Mina on their way to the music hall to deposit the sack in the piano- they probably didn’t want to risk being seen on the way to the music hall, so they attacked her to tie any loose ends. This may sound harsh, but it would have been smarter of the culprit to have also murdered Mina.”

“Morino!” Saza exclaimed.

“He speaks the truth,” said Edward, “had the killer also taken care of Mina, there would be no one to testify against any falsehoods the killer might have presented in the debate. However, because Mina survived the ordeal, they will unable to refute any group summaries we make without becoming suspicious.”

“So, the killer stabs Uehara, then moves to hide the sack in the music hall. Why didn’t they just take it to their room?” asked Tokunaga.

“P-probably f-for the s-same reason they wore the s-sack in the first p-place,” replied Mitsumi, “to avoid s-s-suspicion as they returned to their d-dormitory.”

“If anyone had seen them holding the sack on the first floor, their cover would have been blown immediately,” I said.

“They could have hidden it under their clothes,” suggested Iowa.

“True, but the killer didn’t think of that,” I replied, “otherwise they probably would have done that.”

“So, the killer was walking to the music hall to hide the sack, saw Mina in the library and attacked her to assure they hadn’t been seen,” concluded Morihei, “but what did they do after?”

“I assume they moved Mina to the games room after knocking her out,” Morino said, “then went to the music hall to rid themselves of the sack.”

“I have a question about all this,” interjected Nishi, “when exactly did the killer retrieve the sack?”

“Iowa, you spend the most time in the kitchen,” Miyagawa turned to her, “when would you say you noticed that the sack went missing?” She thought for a moment.

“I’d say this morning, when I was going to make breakfast for those who stayed for it,” she finally said, “there were potatoes scattered all over the floor. I had presumed that someone had just toppled them over last night when trying to make some food.”

“How about yesterday?” I asked.

“Well, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen yesterday since I was with the other girls, preparing for the music competition or looking after Uehara and Mina. Realistically, the killer could have taken the sack at any point during that day.”

“I’d still say it’s more likely that the killer took the sack after the concert, as it would have been risky during the day. If anyone had gone into the kitchen, the removal of the sack would have been obvious.”

“What if the killer took the sack away before the concert though? They could have planted it on the second floor in preparation for their crime,” suggested Nishi.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Nishi,” I claimed, “if that were true, then that would mean the killer was preparing a murder before they had even seen their motive video, which would throw a lot of our theories down the drain.”

“For now, then, we should focus on the crime itself a little more,” said Miyagawa firmly, “otherwise we’ll never get to the bottom of this. Why don’t we go over the murder weapon?”

“The murder weapon was, as we already discussed, the javelin used to stab Uehara through the neck,” said Edward, “Miyagawa and I were able to confirm that the javelin originated from the storeroom.”

“Why d-did the k-killer use such a c-cruel m-m-method? Isn’t a j-javelin a v-very unorthodox choice of w-weapon?” asked Mitsumi nervously.

“I’m also unsure why they would bother which such an elaborate weapon,” agreed Saza, “since they had already gone to the kitchen, they could have just taken one of the kitchen knives.”

“Taking a knife from the kitchen,” said Monoworth with a bored yawn, “such an obvious and repetitive murder weapon choice. Next, you’ll tell me that two of you switched name plates on your bedroom doors.”

“What’s that in reference too, my old buddy?” asked Monomenon with a laugh.

“Anyway,” continued Morino, ignoring the two bears completely, “it’s possible that Nishi was correct in thinking that the killer prepared the sack in advance after seeing their motive video, then committed their crime at a later stage.”

“So, anyone without an alibi at both of those times is a potential suspect?” asked Morihei. Morino nodded, but he wore a frown on his face.

“There’s a problem though,” he said grimly, “only two people actually have alibis. Mitsumi and Nishi were together after the concert, but everyone else returned to their own rooms and watched their motive videos.”

“Everyone except Mitsumi and I don’t have alibis? That means we have eleven suspects!” Nishi cried, running his hands through his hair in frustration. _Eleven suspects_, I thought to myself miserably, _how are we ever going to figure out who the killer is from a list of eleven people?_

“Well, since we have no evidence on the killer’s identity, why don’t we just put forward some theories on who we think the killer could be and why?” proposed Saza.

“Open accusations are a bit… unprofessional,” said Edward apathetically.

“They are all we have for now,” countered Saza,” so who wants to go first?” Morihei immediately raised her hand and we all looked at her in confusion.

“If I may,” she said slowly, “in my view, the prime suspect is Ori.” I froze and gaped at her in shock.

_What did she just say?_


	18. To-and-Fro

“I’m the prime suspect? What are you saying?” I asked Morihei, flabbergasted. She shrugged.

“The question was posed,” she said simply, “and I’m answering it. Based on everything we’ve heard so far, you’re the most likely candidate to be the murderer.”

“But why do you think that?” asked Miyagawa, who was as equally surprised by Morihei’s claim as I.

“Think about it; this morning, Ori skipped breakfast and went to the second floor – why did she choose to go there to look for Uehara or Mina, instead of their dorms? I find it strange how she seemed to know to find them on the second floor.”

“That’s just a coincidence,” I stammered, which didn’t help my case, as some of the others’ faces grew more and more concerned.

“Well, is it also a coincidence that the blood-soaked sack wasn’t discovered until we went into the music hall. And who was the person that found it? It was you, Ori. It’s odd that between Edward, Nishi and Mitsumi, not one of them was able to discover the sack, but you found it almost instantly.” There were murmurs among the group, and I found my face heating in shame. _Did they really think that I was the killer?_ Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t think of anything to refute Morihei’s claims.

“Ori isn’t the only suspicious one,” said Yoneda sadly, as if he wanted to do anything but accuse one of his friends of being a potential murderer.

“Who are you talking about?” asked Morino.

“Even though she was Uehara’s best friend, I do find Mina’s activities dubious,” Yoneda said hesitantly, but it did not matter how he said, Mina’s reaction would have been equally explosive as it was as soon as the words left Yoneda’s lips.

“You think _I’m _the killer? What kind of bullshit…?” Mina practically exploded with rage, and Yoneda flinched and looked like he was about to apologise, but Ouji cut in.

“No, he’s right, you could be the killer. No one can back up your alibi for the time of the murder, nor can anyone claim to have seen you attacked in the library. It could all be a cover story to lure us away from the fact that you killed Uehara.”

“Ouji, you too? But you were saying such nice things earlier,” said Iowa, but Ouji shook her head.

“I still stand by what I said, but our lives are on the line here,” she stated firmly, “we can’t be lenient just because we believe Uehara and Mina were best friends. I don’t _want _to accuse Mina of being a murderer, but it’s definitely a possibility. No one can deny that.”

“It’s not just that, though, we do have evidence to suggest Mina’s the killer,” said Yoneda, and he showed us a photograph of the unconscious Mina. “This was a photograph that Miyagawa took when we discovered Ori, Uehara and Mina in the games room.” I looked closely at the photo – everything was how I remembered it when I discovered Mina and Uehara that morning, but nothing struck me as out of place. _A piece of evidence that implicates Mina as the perpetrator; does something like that really exist?_

“It may not be very visible to you guys now, since I had taken a photo of the whole room,” began Miyagawa solemnly, “but if we zoom in on Mina, the evidence becomes clear.” As he spoke, we all zoomed in on the spot where Mina was lying, and I soon noticed the small detail that Yoneda and Miyagawa were referring to.

“Mina’s hands,” I said. Yoneda made a noise of agreement.

“Her hands? I don’t really see any- ah!” cried Nishi.

“What is there?” asked Tokunaga. “My eyes, they do not see well.”

“They’re faint, but I can make out small traces of blood on her fingers. And are those… fibres?” asked Morihei, narrowing her eyes to focus on the small patches of red and brown that were on Mina’s fingertips.

“That’s right,” confirmed Miyagawa, “when we found the girls, I noticed Mina’s hands and immediately decided to take a photo. If I had waited any longer, the evidence would have disappeared when Ouji took her to my room.” Whilst all this was being said, Mina had paled dramatically, her mouth open in abject shock.

“B-but I’m not the killer!” she screamed. “I don’t know how the blood got onto my hands, and I never even touched the sack!”

“However, those claims are easy to make,” said Edward, “since nobody can confirm them.”

“Well, what about you, Ultimate Stuck-Up Bastard?” retaliated Mina furiously.

“Me?” asked Edward, cocking his eyebrow.

“You disliked Uehara more than anyone, you could also be the culprit!”

“True, I also have no alibi,” Edward admitted, “and I may not have grown fully accustomed to Uehara’s behaviour, but there is no proof that I ever went to the second floor after returning to my quarters to watch my motive video. You, on the other hand, have already admitted you were there, which separates you from all the other suspects.” Mina spluttered, unable to refute Edward’s rebuttal. Large beaded tears formed in her eyes and she looked around helplessly for anyone to defend her, but we were silent. She started to sob quietly as the weight of being the prime suspect in the trial of her best friend's murder crashed down upon her. As we all looked at each other, unsure of how to progress the debate, Morino spoke up.

“I don’t think Mina is the killer,” he stated. Mina looked at him, both hopefully and in shock.

“What? Why not?” Morihei asked.

“To answer that, let me ask the people who have accused you of murdering her,” he turned to face Yoneda and Ouji, who quickly averted their gaze elsewhere. “If Mina is the killer, why did she choose to stay in the games room after committing her crime?”

“Well, she could have done it to avoid suspicion?” suggested Yoneda meekly.

“Yeah, she could have just fallen asleep until morning after killing Uehara,” agreed Ouji.

“Impossible.” Morino uttered the one word and Yoneda and Ouji were stunned into silence. I looked at him, demanding an explanation. “Have you all already forgotten the rules of the killing game? The second rule clearly states that falling asleep inside a room that isn’t a dormitory is strictly prohibited, and punishable by execution. If Mina had fallen asleep, Monomenon would have killed her.”

“He’s right,” shouted Monomenon excitedly, “I was really hoping that that sprout would break the rules and I would get to work my magic on that cute, petite body.”

“What did I tell you about being silent, bear?” Nishi growled, and Monomenon gazed at the Ultimate Tattoo Artist. If Monomenon had had the capacity to show emotion, he would probably be pissed off at how Nishi was treating him.

“So, Mina isn’t the killer?” Saza asked, and Morino shook his head.

“It’s impossible,” he said finally, “she would have had to stay awake, meaning that if she was the killer, she would now have been awake for over twenty-four hours. On top of that, it would have been impossible for her to predict when someone would arrive at the games room to discover her and Uehara’s bodies.”

“Morino…” Mina whispered, “thank you.” Morino didn’t react to Mina’s gratitude, but I didn’t have much time to register was going on with him before I realised who the likeliest killer now was. Me.

“So, does that mean Ori’s our killer?” asked Tokunaga cautiously.

“W-wait!” cried Mitsumi. We all looked at him. “It’s s-still p-possible that Mina is the k-killer… I think.”

“How?” asked Morino; if I hadn’t known any better, I would have said that Mitsumi’s claim had caught him off-guard.

“She w-went to the s-second f-floor early, right? So, she had the opportunity t-to t-take the s-sack there without anyone n-noticing.”

“That’s a fair point, actually,” agreed Nishi, “so far no one else is known to have been in the kitchen, so Mina is just as likely to have taken the sack as anyone else.”

“I don’t think Mina could have used the sack in the way it was intended,” I said.

“Care to explain?”

“Well, the sack was worn over the killer’s top half to stop blood from getting on their clothes,” I started, “but I think Mina is too short to use it this way. The javelin has been stabbed straight down into her neck; however, Mina would have had to reach over the billiards table to commit the crime. That would have far too challenging and risky to carry out.”

“She could stand on billiards table,” countered Tokunaga, “and stab Uehara easily.”

“But then the killer would have only needed to cut two holes in the sack – one at the top and one at the bottom,” I said, “as they would have needed to cover their bottom half. There would be no need to cut out four holes.”

“Okay, we get it, Mina isn’t the killer,” interrupted Saza. “But our only other main suspect is Ori.”

“Actually,” said Miyagawa, “I can corroborate her alibi. She was with me yesterday evening.” _What? Why is he lying?_ I looked at Miyagawa in alarm and he gave me a small nod, and I kept quiet and watched.

“She what?” Morihei asked in tone laced with doubt.

“Ori didn’t want me to bring this up during the trial, but since she is the main suspect,” Miyagawa gave me a wink and I pouted at him, finally realising that I should play along with his act, “I need to say something. Ori came to my room last night at around eleven. She was really upset by what she had seen in her Motive Day video. I comforted her while she cried, and then she slept in my room.”

“But why didn’t you guys come to breakfast together this morning?” asked Iowa in confusion.

“What would you have all thought if we had done that?” he countered with a raised eyebrow, and a few of us looked down as they realised that he was referring to exactly what they were thinking.

“But Mitsumi and I go to breakfast together every morning,” said Nishi, “but you guys don’t think that about us, right?” Nobody said anything, and Saza even coughed awkwardly. A look of horror and a beet-red blush spread over Nishi’s face faster than a set of traffic lights, and he attempted to splutter some nonsense about ‘nothing happening at all it was just nice to be in someone’s company.’ Mitsumi just tried to hide the fact that he was both blushing and giggling at his taller friend’s behaviour.

“Does this revelation really clear Ori of all possibility of being the murderer?” challenged Morihei. _Morihei_, I thought, _even though you helped me in the investigation, you sure are adamant to paint me as the killer._

“But Miyagawa just gave Ori an alibi,” said Iowa.

“Quite a convenient alibi,” Edward noted, and I began to get nervous. _Were they going to see though Miyagawa’s lie_?

“Also, Ori could have just left Miyagawa’s room when he was sleeping and returned later, just like the first case,” added Morihei. I started to panic inwardly, but Miyagawa just laughed.

“Why is the assumption that we slept together? Ori just stayed in my room, so I offered for her to sleep on my bed, and I would sleep by the door to keep her safe. If anyone tried to attack me or her, I would have stopped them easily,” he said with a confident smile.

“That’s right,” I added hastily, laughing as comfortably as I could muster, “I wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as him, are you kidding?” Miyagawa looked offended, and for a moment I thought he was serious, but he rolled his eyes.

“I still think you two have the hots for each other,” muttered Saza, “but whatever, Ori has an alibi. I’m happy with Miyagawa’s testimony.”

“I agree,” said Morino, and pretty much everyone else nodded, “I doubt Ori is the culprit. If she was, then there would be no reason for the bloodied sack to have been discovered at all.”

“We still have a huge problem, however,” said Edward in a frustrated tone, “there are still eight of us without alibis.”

“That’s true,” said Mina, defeated. “What if we never find the answer?”

“Well, you’ll have to do so by the end of today,” reminded Monoworth.

“Yeah, and hurry up, fuckwits!” growled Monomenon. “I have a pedicure appointment this evening that I can’t afford to miss!”

“Perhaps we should discuss anything that we’re not sure of, or present any questions we have,” I said, offering for anyone to speak up. I had some ideas of my own, but I wanted to wait.

“Well, I would like to address something that has been bothering me,” said Nishi, “the killer’s movements.”

“Hmm, that’s also confused me,” said Iowa in agreement.

“What exactly don’t you understand,” asked Miyagawa.

“Up until now, we have been assuming that the killer attacked Mina after murdering Uehara, right? But when did the killer get the javelin?”

“Why is that a problem?” the question came from Tokunaga.

“Well, the javelin was taken from the storeroom,” explained Nishi, “but you have to walk past the library and the music hall to go there. If the killer had been so concerned about someone being in the library, which hadn’t been involved in their crime at that point, then why weren’t they equally concerned about the potential of someone being in the music hall when they went to retrieve the javelin?” Nishi was right – that didn’t make much sense. The killer would have had to knock Uehara out, run to the storeroom, grab the javelin, return to the games room and stab Uehara without being caught by Mina, who was in the music hall. _What have we missed?_

“What does this mean, then?” asked Tokunaga.

“We h-have m-m-made an error somewhere,” said Mitsumi, “we have m-misunderstood something about the c-crime.”

“But what did we get wrong? I can’t think of anything that might be wrong,” Saza mused in puzzlement.

“Perhaps it would be a good idea to go over what we originally assumed the killer’s movements were,” suggested Morino, “from there, we can start presenting alternative theories.”

“Alright, so firstly the killer knocked out Uehara using the billiards cue in the games room,” started Ouji, “they were wearing a sack to stop themselves from becoming covered in blood. We believe they brought the sack to the second floor at an earlier stage of the day, or just before they committed their crime.”

“After that,” I continued, “we believed that the killer then went to the storeroom-“

“Right, there is our first problem,” interrupted Miyagawa, “we don’t know why the killer risked being seen by someone by leaving an unconscious body in the games room to grab the murder weapon. This is especially puzzling because we know that the reason that they attacked Mina was because they didn’t want to be seen.”

“So, we need to think about what could have happened instead of what we presumed in the beginning?” asked Mina. She made a sound as she concentrated deeply for a few short moments, before her shoulders sagged and she shook her head in defeat.

“Could the killer have gone to second floor before Mina went there and set up the javelin in the games room?” asked Iowa.

“I don’t know if that’s likely,” said Yoneda, “that would mean that the killer would have known that Uehara was coming to the second floor that evening. Only Mina knew that information, and we’ve ruled her out as a potential killer.”

“So, what happened? Can’t anyone figure out why I was attacked in the library?” Mina cried out. Suddenly, an idea occurred to me – a realisation that we hadn’t made any attempts to reorder the sequence of events of the crime.

“What if,” I thought aloud, “the killer retrieved the javelin after they attacked Mina?”

“Huh? After?” Nishi was baffled by my suggestion, as were most of my classmates. Morino, on the other hand, nodded.

“I was on a similar train of thought,” he mumbled, “but Ori beat me to it. I think we’ve been looking at the events in the wrong order.”

“If the killer went to the storeroom after attacking both Uehara and Mina,” Morihei considered, “then that would make sense. They would have no reason to fear coming across anyone.”

“That’s true,” chirped Mina, “nobody else was on the second floor when I got there; I checked all the rooms on my way to the music hall for pottery.”

“So, they killed Uehara _after_ knocking out Mina?” asked Yoneda.

“They probably saw an opportunity to frame Mina for the crime,” added Ouji, “and left those threads and blood on her hands to add to our suspicions.”

“If Uehara and Mina were both unconscious when the culprit stabbed Uehara, then the killer would also have had an easy time hiding the sack in the music hall. Though I imagine they still would have acted hastily, just in case anyone else decided to go to the second floor after curfew,” I proposed, but I still had a small hunch that there was something else we hadn’t realised. _I think we’re approaching the truth, but the killer has not made it easy…_

“Are you telling me that I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? And I thought Ori was the student with ultimate luck,” groaned Mina. An inexplicable wave of realisation washed over me when I heard her say something, as if a dormant cog inside my head had suddenly roared back into life and was working overtime.

“Wrong place at the wrong time…” I murmured to myself. What was significant about that comment, and why had it stood out to me?

“Ori? You look like you’ve realised something,” Morino’s words stopped my thoughts to myself.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I think I’ve figured something out, but I’m unsure how it fits in with the crime,” I began.

“What did you realise, Ori?” inquired Mina eagerly.

“Something about your comment made me think of something, Mina,” I began to say, trying to collect my thoughts, “what if there was another reason that you were attacked other than what we first thought?”

“Another reason? Like what?”

“That’s what I’m trying to imagine,” I replied in annoyance, “there’s something that’s been bothering me since the investigation. I’ve had a feeling that there was something that I had overlooked, but I only remembered it when Mina mentioned being in the wrong place.”

“So, are you saying that she was in the right place?” asked Ouji.

“Maybe she was, but not for the killer,” said Morino.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You guys are confusing me,” said Saza, massaging her forehead with her fingertips.

“Let me ask you guys this: until now, what did we summarise as the reason the library was involved in the crime?” Morino addressed the question to everyone.

“We thought the killer attacked Mina there because the library is located between the crime scene and the place where the murder weapon was retrieved,” replied Tokunaga.

“Correct. But what if there was another reason for the killer to go to the library? What if they _wanted _to go there?” I asked as I finally came to realise what had been bothering me about the case. The library was far more involved in the crime than we had first conceived. “We’ve been wrong about the crime from the beginning.”

“From the beginning?” screeched Mina, incredulous.

“Indeed,” I affirmed grimly, “I think our first assumption about this case has thrown all of our theories into jeopardy. The question that we’ve been getting wrong is where Uehara was attacked by the killer.”

“The place she was attacked… so you’re saying that she wasn’t knocked out in the games room?” Ouji questioned. I nodded, but Nishi raised his hand.

“If that’s the case, what evidence is there to show that?” In response to Nishi’s question, Yoneda coughed.

“Morino and I discovered a noticeable pile of books that had somehow ended up on the floor. Perhaps they are related to what happened?”

“They’re directly involved in what happened there,” I stated, “if we work with the new assumption that Uehara was attacked in the library, and not in the games room.”

“But I don’t see how the books alone prove that Uehara was attacked in the library,” said Miyagawa, “as she was still hit over the head with the billiards cue. Are you saying the killer brought the cue to the library just to attack Uehara?”

“Actually, I think the billiards cue is a red herring set for us by the killer,” I replied. “They probably struck Uehara’s head with it to make us think that she was attacked in the games room, and hence hide the truth of what happened.”

“Is that really what happened?” asked Iowa in amazement.

“Ori might be on the right track,” acknowledged Ouji. “When I was investigating Uehara’s body, I did find something unusual which I originally dismissed.” Our Seiko-pads flashed once more, and a close-up image of Uehara’s head appeared. Bile quickly rose in my throat as I looked over the gory image, which was mostly red due to the volume of blood, but when I got past the initial nausea, I could focus on what Ouji was referring to. Uehara’s neck appeared to have been wiped clean of blood, revealing dark, bluish-grey bruises.

“Are those bruises?” asked Edward.

“Yeah, I found them while going over the crime scene,” Ouji explained with a sad sigh.

“But what does that mean? Why are the bruises important?” asked Mina desperately.

“It means,” I concluded, “that Uehara was not only attacked in the library, and not the games room, but there’s also something else…”

“Are you about to suggest what I think you’re going to suggest?” Morino questioned me warily. I swallowed nervously but nodded.

“Uehara might have been killed in the library.”


	19. Bad Ending

There was an eerie silence as my classmates tried to process what I had just said. Looks of horror, astonishment and incredulity washed over their faces like a fierce wave. That is, everyone except Morino; he simply kept his stony gaze on me, telling me with his eyes that I was right, and that I needed to keep going.

“I believe it’s possible,” I began before anyone could refute what I was saying, “that Uehara could have been murdered in the library, and that the javelin was potentially not the cause of death. In light of the evidence Ouji gave us, the bruises on Uehara’s neck, it’s possible she was strangled to death in the library then moved to the games room.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” said Yoneda, shaking his head, “or rather, that’s a lot of effort for the killer to do for no discernible reason. What did the killer gain from obfuscating the location and method of their crime?”

“I don’t really get it either,” agreed Iowa, “why would the culprit stab someone they already killed?”

“Furthermore,” added Tokunaga, “this means all theories we have thinked about are wrong… is Ori really correct?”

“I believe her,” said Morino, “the killer obviously stabbed Uehara for a reason, and it seems it was to cover up her true cause of death. Now, our question is: what was the purpose of doing that? If we go over the movements of the killer, with Ori’s theory in mind, I believe we can unravel the truth of this murder.”

“Can we really do it? Can we really solve the case?” asked Mina a bit too eagerly, as though she had forgotten that solving the crime would result in the execution of another classmate.

“Well, we can at least try,” conceded Edward with a shrug of his shoulders. The rest merely nodded in agreement and I began the new discussion.

“So, with this new information in mind, we now presume the killer encountered Uehara in the library and strangled her there.”

“In the struggle,” added Morino, “Uehara likely knocked over those books that were found during the investigation.”

“Sadly, this also means that she didn’t die a quick and painless death, as I first thought,” whispered Ouji, who was looking down at the floor while trying to come to terms with that reality, “but a slow and agonising one.”

“After this,” continued Miyagawa, “the killer then moved Uehara’s body to the games room. They then went back to the library and encountered Mina – they attacked her, knocking her out. They moved her body to the games room, sensing an opportunity to frame her for the murder.”

“I h-have a question,” interrupted Mitsumi weakly, “if the k-killer wanted to h-hide the l-location of the m-m-murder, why d-didn’t they p-p-put the b-books away after knocking out M-Mina?”

“Because Mina had been in there,” I replied, “she probably saw them on the floor. Even if she didn’t see them, the killer couldn’t risk her testifying that they had been there, meaning that we would have known much sooner that the library was the scene of the crime.”

“For the record, I did see them,” said Mina, “I remember I was walking towards them to inspect them when I was attacked.”

“Had Mina not been there, we would have had no way of knowing that the library was involved in the crime,” Nishi said, “whoever the culprit is, they sure have made it hard for us to get them.”

“So, after moving both Mina and Uehara to the games room,” resumed Saza, “the killer went to the storeroom to get the javelin. But why bother when they had already killed Uehara?”

“Well, the wound from the javelin and the subsequent blood loss covered up the bruises,” said Edward, “but that does bring up another problem; why were there no bruises on Mina’s neck?”

“The killer attacked me by wrapping their arm around my neck and choking me,” said Mina, “but I’m guessing that they used their bare hands to strangle Uehara.”

“That’s probably what happened,” concurred Ouji, “strangling someone to death requires a lot more pressure to be put on the throat than just choking someone to prolonged unconsciousness.”

“Moving back to the topic of the killer’s actions,” Morino chimed in, “we know that the killer picked up the javelin from the storeroom and travelled to the games room with it. Once there, they positioned Uehara’s body on the billiards table, wore the sack over their body and plunged the javelin through her neck.”

“Once they were done there, they rushed to the music hall and hid the sack inside the piano, then fled from the second floor and returned to their dormitory,” I said, finally reaching the end of our understanding of the culprit’s crime.

“That… was a lot,” said Nishi with a deep sigh, “but I’m still unsure why Mina wasn’t murdered alongside Uehara. To me, that seems like a huge mistake on the killer’s part.”

“I must admit,” answered Edward, “the movements of our culprit are very erratic and lack any sort of logic. It’s almost as though they were moving from one step of covering their crime to another with little or no thought.”

“Then maybe they weren’t planning a murder that evening,” said Saza.

“What?”

“Well, I began to think about how it’s weird we never really reached a conclusion on when the sack was brought to the second floor. Maybe the killer brought it with them, but hadn’t planned on committing the crime that night, and were merely preparing a murder for a different time?”

“That’s definitely plausible,” admitted Morino, “but I think that we can look past that part of the crime, given that we’ve established a clear storyboard for what happened. Now we can-”

“Actually, I’m not yet satisfied,” said Morihei firmly.

“Oh? Did we miss something?” asked Morino.

“I’m not sure if this is relevant to the case at all, but isn’t it strange that Uehara even went to the library at all? She never spent time in there; not with Mina, not with any of the girls or the judges for the music contest when we were supervising them. So, why was she in the library on this particular night?” I paused – Morihei had brought up a very valid point. As far as I was aware, Uehara had not spent a single minute in the library since the second floor was opened to us, so what was her reason for going there, and not meeting Mina in the music hall?

“Maybe she got confused on where to meet Mina?” Yoneda put forward.

“She could have been lured there by the killer and then strangled,” pointed out Ouji.

“We can also theorise that our earlier thoughts on the killer waiting for someone to come to the second floor are now valid again,” said Nishi.

“What do you think, Ori?” Morino asked me. I turned to him, confused. _What did I think? Why is he asking me specifically?_ Ignoring the suddenness of Morino’s question, I thought for a few moments while everyone looked expectantly in my direction. Was Uehara mistaken in the location of the rendezvous point with Mina? Or was she brought there by the culprit, or did she fall into a trap set by one of us? Or was it something else entirely?

“I think,” I finally said, “that the victim was lured there by the culprit. Although Nishi’s theory is a possibility, the problem is that no one other than Mina and Uehara had any reason to go to the second floor – the killer wouldn’t have known that, and I don’t see how they could have predicted it either. As for Uehara not knowing where to go, that also doesn’t seem plausible because we all spent a long period of time in the music hall, so we should all know where it is.”

“I agree with Ori,” chirped Mina, jumping on the spot, “she’s been right about everything so far, so I’m going to trust her!”

“But if the culprit arrived there after Mina, then they would have had to arrive at the second floor before Uehara, right?” asked Saza.

“What’s wrong with that?” Edward queried her.

“Well, even if Mina did wait thirty minutes before beginning to search for her,” Saza began, “there’s no way we can know the exact point in that thirty-minute period that Uehara arrived.”

“Actually, I received a message from her about fifteen minutes after I went to the music hall,” Mina admitted, “she sent it on her Seiko-pad.”

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you mention that sooner?” Morino demanded, his expression darkening.

“I didn’t think it would be important!” Mina stammered in response.

“What did she say to you, Mina?” I asked, equally frustrated that she had failed to mention the message until that point of the trial.

“She just let me know that she had left her room and was on her way to the music hall,” Mina repeated, “and I’m pretty sure she sent me that message approximately fifteen minutes after my arrival.”

“B-but that o-only g-gives the k-k-killer fifteen m-minutes to commit their c-crime!” cried Mitsumi in horror.

“That is deeply concerning,” pondered Edward, “are we sure that’s even possible? I’m presuming the culprit and victim arrived at separate times, which is furthermore problematic for our case…”

“If they arrived at different times, that would give the killer more or less ten minutes to actually bring Uehara to the library, murder her and move her corpse to the games room,” Nishi added, “so they were working with a really narrow time frame. Is the crime even possible?”

“Tricky, but doable,” affirmed Morino, “it takes a few minutes to strangle someone to death, but only a matter of seconds to unconsciousness. I doubt we will know exactly whether the blow from the javelin or the strangulation is her cause of death, but it’s not overly important in solving the mystery of the killer’s identity. We know what we need to know, and someone in this room is likely getting very worried right now because we’re getting closer to the truth.”

“However, there is still a problem,” Morihei stated, “because the killer must have arrived at the second floor after Uehara. Perhaps they saw her get in the elevator, waited for the elevator to return to the first floor, and then follow after her.”

“But if that were the case,” argued Tokunaga, “then there is no way the killer could catch up to Uehara and redirect her to the library before she reached the music hall. The elevator moves very slowly, so I don’t think the murder could have happened like Morihei states.”

“So, the culprit didn’t arrive after Uehara, but they also didn’t arrive _before_ her? Then when did the killer go to the second floor and murder my friend?” Mina practically screeched the last part.

“Another dead end…” said a dejected Iowa, “this crime is really unsolvable.”

“Don’t give up,” Miyagawa reprimanded the two girls, “there is one way that this supposed impossibility becomes a possibility.”  
  
“Are you suggesting that the killer and victim went into the elevator together?” Tokunaga asked, and Miyagawa agreed, visibly confusing many of our classmates in the room.

“Together? Why do you think that?” The notion clearly bothered Iowa, who was frowning deeply as she tried to understand Miyagawa’s suggestion. However, it made sense; the killer didn’t have a lot of time to operate, and their crime was complicated to set up.

“Miyagawa’s theory supports what we know about the strangulation of Uehara,” declared Morino, “we’ve decided to accept that Uehara was enticed to enter the library – but when did the killer have an opportunity to do this? If the killer rode the elevator with Uehara, they could have used that time to convince her to go to the library with them and then commit their crime. Furthermore, whether we assume that Uehara was strangled to death or to unconsciousness, Miyagawa’s theory allows for all the parts of the crime to be fulfilled within the time between Uehara sending her message to Mina and becoming a murder victim.”

“I also b-believe this t-to be the case,” Mitsumi whispered, “if the k-killer was in the elevator with Uehara, they w-would have known that M-Mina was a-also on the s-second f-f-floor. It’s l-likely that Uehara t-told them a-about their m-meetup”

“If Uehara had told the killer that, then they would have likely seen the opportunity to frame Mina for the murder of Uehara,” I added.

“So, we’re all agreed that that’s what happened?” Everyone nodded to Nishi’s question, though I noticed that Mina had puffed out her cheeks and looked angry. I asked her what was wrong, and she sighed loudly.

“None of these stupid theories you guys have made are helpful,” she muttered, “because we are no closer to knowing who killed Uehara! Why are we wasting so much time discussing a fucking elevator, or a billiards cue, or a potato sack, when we should be focusing on the fact that the murderer is one of us?” Before any of us could respond, Mina’s guttural sobs echoed throughout the trial hall once again.

“Well, why don’t we go over the alibis again, since we’re done discussing the chronology of the crime itself?” suggested Edward, attempting to encourage Mina to persevere with the trial. Reluctantly, she nodded silently and we all inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

“So far, Nishi and Mitsumi are witnesses to each other’s alibis, and the same applies to Ori and Miyagawa,” Yoneda began.

“We’ve also proven that Mina is not the killer,” added Iowa, earning a happy smile from the Ultimate Cryptozoologist.

“However, that leaves me, Iowa, Saza, Morino, Edward, Yoneda, Tokunaga and Morihei without alibis,” reminded Ouji.

“How are we going to reduce this down to one person?” Yoneda whined.

“Well, to start with,” responded Morihei, “I’d like to suggest that we remove all the girls from the list of suspicious individuals.”

“Huh? Why all the girls?” I asked.

“As we were preparing for the music concert, all the girls took turns in spending time with Uehara and Mina following Hatanaka’s execution. Therefore, we all knew that the pair preferred to spend their time in the games room. If the killer was a girl, they would have lured Uehara to the games room to kill her, and not to the library.”

“That’s not true,” Edward argued, “what if the killer is a girl, and they lured Uehara to the library to throw the scent off a female killer and try to pin the blame on a male killer?”

“B-but then all our h-hard w-work would b-be useless,” said Mitsumi despondently, “we spent s-so much t-time arguing that Uehara’s k-killer d-didn’t want us t-to know that she had b-been in the library. If this w-was n-not the c-case, then there w-was no reason t-t-to attack Mina, nor p-pretend the l-library wasn’t involved.”

“I also think that a male is culpable this time too,” Yoneda informed us.

“Hm? But Yoneda, that testimony only serves to implicate you more in the crime,” warned Edward.

“I know that,” was the reply, “but I also know that I’m not the killer, so I have no issue presenting another piece of evidence.”

“This late into the trial?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes, please take a look at this.” Our Seiko-pads flashed once more and a picture of the inside of a book, whose pages were littered with diagrams and photos of athletes and sports equipment. One page in particular caught my eye, which featured annotations on diagrams of a piece of equipment we had already discussed in the trial.

“Since I was investigating the library with Morino, I figured it may be worth reading up on the specific murder weapon, or what we thought at the time to be the murder weapon,” Yoneda explained as he showed us multiple different images of professional javelin throwers, measurements and graphs relating to the sport.

“Why is this important?” asked a very confused Iowa.

“I found this book about field sports in the library and decided to read about the properties of javelins. It turns out that men and women’s javelins are different sizes, both in weight and length. Men’s javelins are longer and heavier than those made for use of female athletes. Taking into account the information presented in this book, I deem it to be more likely for our killer to be a man. I even asked Ouji to measure the javelin for me during the investigation, which I hope she has done.”

“I did wonder when you were going to bring that up,” the Ultimate Naturalist said in response, “it was a very unusual request and I understood that you were up to something.”

“Our killer is a guy?” asked Mina.

“Before we decide on that, I have a question about Yoneda’s evidence,” Nishi interrupted.

“What is it, Nishi?”

“Well, the properties of a javelin are designed for a javelin to be thrown, and not stabbed downwards,” Nishi clarified, “so if a javelin is being used in way that it wasn’t designed for, can the sex of the killer really be so easily determined?”

“I did think of that when Yoneda told me about his findings,” Morino confessed, “but if you look at Uehara’s corpse, the javelin was stabbed straight downwards. Men’s javelins are about forty centimetres longer than women’s, so I don’t think that any of the girls without alibis are capable of completing the act so precisely, by virtue of the fact they simply aren’t tall enough.”

“So Iowa, Sazzy, Morihei and Ouji aren’t guilty?” Nishi asked.

“That would be what our findings suggest,” admitted Morino.

“So, Edward, Morino, Yoneda and Tokunaga are the only remaining suspects,” Mina whispered. She promptly began to glare at the four boys, as if trying to get one of them to confess to the crime through sheer intimidation.

“It may seem a stupid reason,” murmured Tokunaga, “but I’m too fat to wear the sack, so I can’t be the killer.”

“Everyone else had already come to the same conclusion,” said Morihei, perhaps a little too harshly, but Tokunaga didn’t seem to mind the cheap insult.

“I think Yoneda can also be ruled out,” Miyagawa said, “the use of the library would point to him, and I don’t think he would have made a mistake as big as leaving the toppled books unattended.”

“By the same logic, we can also rule out Edward,” noted Nishi, “as the sack was found inside the piano.” Edward bowed his head in thanks at Nishi’s comments, but then we all turned to Morino, who was the last person on the list. He merely smiled.

“Ah, so the suspicion has fallen upon me again, has it? That’s the second trial in a row I’ve been accused.” He laughed dryly at his twisted joke, as though it were a sound he wasn’t used to producing.

“Admittedly, you are now the prime suspect,” said Yoneda glumly. “I don’t want to accuse you, but you seem the most likely candidate.” My mind went blank. _Morino is the killer? We don’t even know his Ultimate Talent, and now he’s the prime suspect for Uehara’s murder? _I asked myself if I thought Morino was the killer and was not surprised to find that I didn’t believe it.

“I disagree. Morino isn’t the culprit,” before I could even process those words, they had already left my mouth and flooded the silence of the trial hall.

“What? But Ori, I’m the only one who could have done it – isn’t that the conclusion you’ve drawn?”

“You aren’t actually admitting to the crime, though,” I countered, “and I don’t think this crime was your work because of its nature.”

“Its nature?”

“All throughout the trial, this crime has felt unpolished, scattered, unplanned even. Nothing about it is calculated, methodical, perhaps even unsolvable. That doesn’t sound like Morino at all.”

“I’m so flattered you think I would be a good murderer,” Morino replied drolly, rolling his eyes.

“Not only that,” I continued, brushing his remark aside, “but your behaviour in this trial doesn’t match with a killer’s.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Who led the discussion about the javelin not being the method of death? Who helped Yoneda figure out that a guy was the killer? Who has been helping throughout this whole trial? You have, Morino. The killer would be doing the exact opposite.” Morino was silent for a few seconds, exhaled loudly in defeat and nodded.

“Nothing gets past the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student, does it?” he mocked.

“What are you saying?” Iowa asked.

“I’m not the killer; Ori is right.”

“What? But then we have no suspects? Do the bears lie to us and are actually guilty themselves?” groaned Tokunaga.

“Hey! What’s the big idea, accusing dainty little me all off a sudden?” Monomenon demanded. “You’re lucky that’s not a violation of the rules, young man, because I’d take that broken billiards cue and shove it right up your-”

“But if Morino isn’t guilty,” Morihei began to ask, “can we really just rely on the ‘belief’ that he didn’t do it?”

“Belief is what’s driven us to try and beat this killing game,” I argued, “belief is what drove Hatanaka to kill Sanda, a belief that he would escape. Before he was executed, he told us all to believe in winning the game. Now that Uehara’s dead, we told Mina to believe in our group to figure out this case. In this sick, perverted game, belief is all we may have.”

“If it helps clear my name, I should mention that I also had no motive to kill her,” said Morino. _What?_

“B-but you said you w-watched your motive video,” Mitsumi stammered.

“I did,” Morino acknowledged, “but there was nothing on it. There’s nobody in the outside world waiting for me.”

“That can’t be true,” Saza exclaimed, “everyone has someone!”

“Not me. Here, I’ll prove it. Bears – make yourself useful and play my Motive Day video,” Morino commanded.

“Roger that, Mr Talentless!” said Monomenon with a cheer and a soft clicking sound sounded from somewhere in the room. The large screen that had shown us Hatanaka’s execution descended from the ceiling and loomed over us. There was another clicking sound and the screen turned on and the room was immediately filled with a horribly loud fizzing sound, as dots of various greys danced across the screen like agitated mice. At first, I thought the screen wasn’t working correctly, but it soon dawned on me that what we were watching was Morino’s video. As if reading my thoughts, Morino spoke up.

“This is what I saw when I opted to watch the video – I had been very tempted to see who would have been in the video, but as you can see…”

“That’s right,” interrupted Monoworth, “Master Yoshimatsu indeed has no one outside of this academy who loves him. Such a deplorable circumstance, but the motive had been planned in advance of your arrival, so we just had to improvise with Master Yoshimatsu.”

“No one… who loves you…?” Mina whispered in horror, but Morino just shrugged.

“The logistics don’t matter right now,” he said, “we need to focus on solving the crime. Let’s return to our original list of suspects after we ruled out the girls.”

“That would be Yoneda, Tokunaga and Edward,” Saza listed.

“As I say before,” Tokunaga began with a hearty chuckle, “I am too big and fat to wear the potato bag, so I cannot be the killer.”

“That leaves us with Yoneda and Edward,” I said slowly and quietly. Both boys looked horrified as our eyes fell on them.

“You guys… suspect me?” Yoneda asked, struggling to believe his ears.

“I am not the culprit,” Edward stated firmly, “we established that both Yoneda and I would not have involved the library nor the piano into the crime as they would point to us respectively.”

“It cannot be anyone _other _than either one of you,” Nishi stated, “we’ve combed through everyone’s alibis, the logistics of the crime itself.” As Nishi spoke, I remembered that Miyagawa and I actually had fake alibis – he could have been lying to protect himself from suspicion, but I didn’t believe that. Like everyone else, I was convinced either Yoneda or Edward was responsible for the death of Uehara – we just had to find out who.

“But there’s no new evidence that we have that would suggest one over the other,” Miyagawa told us, “perhaps there’s something in the old evidence that we overlooked?”

“No! I don’t want to talk about things we already discussed,” whined Mina, “I think Yoneda did it!” Yoneda spluttered at the harsh abruptness of Mina’s accusation.

“What? Under what logic? You can’t just come out with a bodacious claim like that!”

“The library was your favourite place to go to, it would make sense if you suggested to Uehara that you go read some books together before you murdered her.”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong…” Yoneda started to throw out excuses here and there, trying desperately to clear his name.

“Yoneda was also the first to claim that Ori was the murderer and got proven wrong. Ori did say that the killer would be trying to work against us…” Nishi said slowly, a look of hurt confusion and fury periodically flashing on his face.

“I’m not the killer! I just said that stuff because we kept reaching stalemates…! I don’t know anything about murder!”

“You probably lured her to the library because you had found some books on videogames or something – that’s why the toppled books were from the ‘V’ section. You showed her those books, and she knocked them over while you strangled her to death.”

_What…? What did… How do they know that?_

“Edward.” The crown prince of Leonis looked at me.

“Yes?”

“What you said just now,” I started, “where did those books come from?”

“The ‘V’ section of the library,” Edward repeated, “Uehara was the Ultimate RPG Player, right? So Yoneda exploited her interests to entice her to follow him to the library, where he then took her life.”

“But how do you know they came from that section of the library? No one has yet to make mention of where the books came from.” Edward's eyes widened.

“Furthermore,” continued Morino, “the books that were discovered in the library were from the ‘R’ section, not the ‘V’ section. So why were you so adamant about a piece of information that you shouldn’t know?” The Ultimate Monarch looked completely taken aback, but he soon recovered and laughed. Unconvincingly.

“Oh, perhaps I just misremembered the information,” he said, “videogames and the like aren’t popular in Leonis, let alone among royals like myself.”

“But you’re right, Edward,” chimed in a baffled Mina. The frown she wore on her face suggested she did not fully understand the implications of the conversation that we were locked into. “The books that fell did come from that section of the library; I don’t know why you guys are saying they weren’t.”

“Because the fallen books were all on topics beginning with the letter ‘r’,” Yoneda confirmed. To prove his point, he showed us on our Seiko-pads the photograph of the books that Morino had taken. Somehow, Mina’s frown seemed to deepen even further, to the point where the tips of her eyebrows were nearly touching.

“That’s not the same pile of books that I saw when the killer attacked me,” she said. Her comment sent a blood-curdling shiver down my spine as all the pieces of the crime slotted together. _He’s the culprit. I don’t believe it… Mina just confirmed the killer’s identity._

“Ori, you’ve figured it out, right? What he said – it’s suspicious?” I glanced at Morino, who had asked the question. I could never read what expression he wore on his face, but something was off. Had he thought of something that I had yet to.? _Perhaps it will come to me in due time_, I thought, _but I need to get everyone on my side. Everyone still thinks Yoneda did it, but now I strongly suspect otherwise_.

“What? What have I said? Why suspicious?” Both of Edward’s eyebrows were now raised, and he shifted his standing stance a little by hunching his shoulders. _Caught in a lie_.

“If your testimony matches Mina’s, and that the books came from the ‘V’ section,” I began to explain, “then that means you must have been in the library between two specific events of this crime: the strangulation of Uehara and the attack on Mina. That’s a ten-minute window.”

“Then I must have simply misremembered the information from the trial,” Edward responded calmly, “and even if I had been there, it’s also possible for Yoneda to have been there instead of me.”

“But why would I murder someone in a place that would obviously indicate myself?” asked Yoneda.

“I could ask the same about the use of the piano,” Edward said, folding his arms, “why would I hide the sack in a place that would ultimately implicate me in the crime?”

“He’s right, Ori,” said Mina, “it’s a fifty-fifty chance for either Edward or Yoneda to be the killer…”

“No, it isn’t. Edward is the killer,” I said adamantly. Mina audibly gasped, and my conviction even seemed to surprise Morino. Edward flinched and his face pinked slightly as he became more enraged with my persistence.

“And where is your proof, Orito?” I bristled at the use of my full name – he was taunting me with the fact that he knew I had no evidence, but that slip up about the sections of the library had revealed to me the truth.

“But we know that you were in the library within a ten-minute period,” mentioned Miyagawa, “meaning that you now have to explain to us why you were on the second floor, what you were doing, and why you didn’t mention this at all during the trial.”

“No, I already told you,” Edward said, “I had just forgotten where the books had come from.”

“I d-don’t b-believe you,” declared Mitsumi in an unexpectedly stern manner, “b-because you specifically m-mentioned that the b-books were about v-videogames. Even if y-you f-f-forgot the section, you can’t h-have just forgotten such a d-distinctive feature about the b-books.” Edward stuttered at Mitsumi’s realisation, his hands gripping his forearms tighter as more suspicion was cast over him like a vast shadow. _We’re almost there, I think, _I thought to myself. Edward was slowly running out of arguments.

“What about the sack?” Edward suddenly asked. “You’re suggesting that I was in the library at some point during a ten-minute period of time, but that would mean that I wouldn’t have been in possession of the sack. The killer must have brought it, and then used it to frame me.”

“But then that means the killer knew you were also on the second floor,” argued Morihei, “so where would you have been where the killer saw you, but not Uehara or Mina? We established that the killer went to the library with Uehara, so if the killer saw you, then that would mean Uehara would have seen you as well, but you were quiet about seeing her the whole trial.”

“Furthermore, since you’ve brought up the sack,” added Nishi, “you volunteered to investigate the music hall with Mitsumi and I. But Ori was the one who found the sack.”

“Why is that important?” asked Tokunaga.

“Think about it – Edward told Mitsumi and I to stay in the main area of the music hall while he stayed backstage. If he were the killer, he could pretend to investigate backstage so that nobody would check the area where he hid the sack. If Morihei, Miyagawa and Ori hadn’t come to the music hall, then maybe we never would have found it because only Edward had been near the piano.”

“He c-could have b-been d-deliberately stopping us f-from going there,” whimpered Mitsumi, “t-to k-keep the sack hidden.” Edward’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth to argue back against the two boys, but I stepped in.

“You also had to accept Miyagawa’s offer to search the storeroom. If you hadn’t, then that would have looked suspicious to the others that were in the room. The security of us not finding the evidence inside the piano was gone, and all you could do was hope that we wouldn’t find it.”

“This is all nonsense,” Edward brazenly denied, “baseless and projected nonsense! I refuse to acknowledge such audacious and repulsive claims. The crown prince of Leonis, a murderer? Preposterous!”

“If you won’t acknowledge it, then I’ll have to go over the crime from start to finish,” I informed him, “if I can’t convince you of your own truth, then I will convince everyone else in the room.”

“Ori, you don’t have to do that,” said Mina, “I’m ready to vote for him.”

“No, Mina, I can’t do that,” I told her, “because I myself don’t fully believe he is the killer.”

“You originally suggested the idea,” Edward scoffed, “and now you believe me to be innocent?”

“I don’t want you to be the killer, Edward!” I cried. “I don’t want to believe that you would do something so awful, but that’s the only truth I can think of!” He was silent, and I took a deep breath before beginning to recount the events of the murder of Uehara Tsuru, the Ultimate RPG Player.

\---

“Before I go into how the killer committed their crime, it’s important to note one thing that we established during the crime; that the killer may not have originally planned to commit murder the night they did. This will be useful to remember as the events unfurl, starting with the end of the music competition, where Monoworth informed us all that the second Motive Day event had begun. He had left us videotapes of our loved ones, mutilated and murdered beyond question. His hope was that this would encourage us to sacrifice a classmate to see for ourselves whether what we saw in our tape was true, and his plan was an unfortunate success.

“In order to begin preparing their crime, the killer went to the kitchen and emptied a potato sack and decided to take it to the second floor. On their way they encountered the victim, Uehara, and asked her why she was going to the second floor. Uehara likely informed them that they were going to meet Mina. The killer, sensing an opportunity to both commit murder and frame someone else for it, pretended to want to go to the second floor with Uehara. Once there, they lured her to the library, towards the ‘V’ section and strangled her. In the struggle, Uehara knocked several of the books from the ‘V’ section onto the floor. Once Uehara had been taken care of, the killer then moved her body to the games room and placed her on top of the billiards table.

“After moving the body, the culprit then went back to the library to put the toppled books back onto the shelf, but there was a huge problem waiting for them at the library. Mina, who had gone looking for Uehara, had gone into the library and was inspecting the very pile of books that the killer was after. Left with no choice, the killer also attacked Mina, but did not kill her so that they could later frame her for the crime. The culprit then moved Mina’s body to the games room and went back to the library to put the books back, however they then knocked over books in the ‘R’ section of the library, but it is still unclear why the killer did this. All we know is that if the killer had cleaned the library

“Once the killer had finished in the library, they began the final parts of their crime. Firstly, they went to the storeroom and retrieved the very unusual murder weapon, a men’s javelin, from the storeroom and rushed back to the games room. They put on the sack, stabbed Uehara through the neck with it, obfuscating the true cause of death, and dipped Mina’s fingers in the blood to place more suspicion on her. I imagine that the killer was in a rushed, panicked state, because after stabbing Uehara they went to the music hall and hid the sack inside the piano, presumably because it was the instrument that the killer had played at the concert. They couldn’t have taken it to their room on the first floor, as they could have been spotted and the blood would have soaked through their clothes. After hiding the sack, the killer was then able to return to their dormitory and wait for the rest of us to discover the body. However, several errors led us to the truth: the distinction between men’s and women’s javelins, the location of the hidden sack and a very impactful slip of the tongue from the culprit, who is none other than Edward Lionheart, the Ultimate Monarch and crown prince of Leonis. Please, will you admit to your crime now?”

\---

Edward was silent for a long time once I had finished talking. His palms were gripping his podium tightly, his head was bowed, and his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Finally, he broke and wept loudly, large tears cascading to the ground at his feet, but nobody said a word. We were all too shocked, appalled and saddened by his wordless admission of guilt. After what seemed like and eternity, he spoke, drying his eyes and staring at me with a fierce but desperate determination.

“You are truly an enigmatic individual, Ori. For a student who didn’t believe their talent to be real, I believe you’ve proven yourself more than worthy of the title of Ultimate,” he said with a half-hearted smile. My eyes instantly welled.

“Edward,” I sobbed, “why? Why did you do this?” He looked down again.

“The motive video,” he said simply.

“So, it was because of that…” said Nishi slowly.

“Edward! You killed Uehara because of someone you love!” cried Saza in a mixture of misery and frustration.

“Not just someone I love,” Edward retorted calmly, “but my darling Penelope…”

“You killed for some chick?” asked Morihei incredulously. Edward gave her a venomous glare.

“That ‘chick’ you’re referring to happened to be future queen of Leonis – have some respect. That video… it showed my worst fears; my kingdom in ruins, my home engulfed in flames, and my dearest Penelope, hanging from a tree like some sort of strange fruit.”

“Y-you had a p-princess you w-were going to m-marry?” asked Mitsumi, but Edward shook his head.

“No, Penelope is not a princess. At least, not by blood. She is a prisoner of the war in Leonis.”

“A war in Leonis?” asked Miyagawa.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” exclaimed Yoneda, “Leonis has always been known for its peaceful ways. I find it very hard to believe that there’s a war going on.”

“Wars are not always fought on a battlefield, nor are they always fought with engineering power, weapons of mass destruction or patriotic soldiers who foolishly believe their self-sacrifice will help a greater effort. No, there are wars that are fought within the confines of a nation, where the only weapons are words and the combatants are ready to sacrifice others rather than themselves.”

“What are you talking about, Edward?” persisted a baffled Iowa.

“By voting for me,” Edward sighed, “you will eliminate the last hope of Leonis. A full-scale socio-political crisis will launch itself upon my country. Are you all really willing to let that happen?” _A socio-political crisis? What is he talking about?_

“He’s right,” said Tokunaga sadly, “if Edward dies, then Leonis will suffer because of this crisis.”

“Can we really give up the life of a monarch for our own survival?” Saza asked, concern etched across her face.

“I don’t think we should vote for him, even if he is the killer,” Morihei conceded.

“Bullshit!” My head snapped to Mina, who was looking at us with a disgusted expression.

“Mina, what’s the matter?”

“Do you even hear yourselves? Sacrifice ourselves for Edward’s sake? That’s complete bullshit – his status as a monarch means nothing in this killing game. But he clearly believed his life was worth more than Uehara’s, that’s why he killed her! If he really wanted to survive alongside the rest of us, then Uehara’s death was completely unnecessary…” After listening to Mina’s tirade, Edward bowed once more and let out a small, tired laugh.

“How strange. As the trial progresses, I find myself no longer wishing for you all to sacrifice yourselves for me – Mina’s right. Nothing matters within the walls of the Seiko Academy, only murder. I realise now that my actions were doomed to fail as soon as I believed I could get away with murder.”

“But I still don’t understand the things you were saying about Leonis,” Nishi stated, “how can things be so bad that you’d be willing to take the life of another?” In response to the question, Edward signalled the attention of Monoworth.

“Tell me, bear; since I will likely be sent to my grave before the day is out, would you please allow me to explain my crime to my classmates… no, to my friends?”

“That will be fine,” agreed Monoworth, “there is no nobler thing than a man going to his grave with dignity.”

“How about a bear going to his gravy with dignity!” Monomenon screeched with laughter, but we all ignored him, including Monoworth.

“Very well,” Edward let out a long, deep breath and collected himself, “then allow me to explain the war that is currently wreaking havoc across my homeland. Afterwards, you may all vote for me as the culprit – I will be at peace after telling my story – the tale of The War of Ebony and Ivory.”


	20. Ebony and Ivory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for being so patient with me whilst I've been writing this chapter. As you can see, it is much longer than any other chapter in the story so far by about 10,000 words, which is why it's taken 2 months to write!
> 
> I would love to hear what you guys think about the story so far - please, feel free to leave any comments down below. I would love to read your predictions and theories for my characters.
> 
> This chapter was particularly challenging to write, but I think it delivers a fairly powerful message. I really hope you all enjoy it and believe it was worth the wait. The next chapter will be conclusion to the second case.
> 
> If you don't already follow me on Twitter, please do @DanganHyper. I'm currently in the middle of releasing character bios with artwork, and they're so great! Have yourselves a lovely day.
> 
> \- Hyper Dangan

_Throughout history, the kingdom of Leonis has always been one step ahead of the rest of the world: art, fashion, technology – everything almost always begins in Leonis. Many look to the nation as the summit of human skill, intellect and talent. At the centre of the nation is the Leonis Castle, known locally as the Ivory Palace, where the longest-standing royal family in human history resides. The current king, Arthur Lionheart the Fourth, and his queen Isabella have been ruling the nation for almost thirty years. One frosty winter morning, a dazzling golden sunrise decorated the nation’s rooftops and, somewhere in the royal nursery, a new-born was wailing. The nation awoke to the news that the queen had given birth to a healthy baby boy in the night, and that the king had christened him Edward Lionheart. While many rejoiced at the birth of the new future of the kingdom, there were many who were outraged. These people all lived in the underbelly of the nation, an underbelly of which only the denizens of Leonis knew._

_Despite other nations’ grandiose and admiring views of the kingdom of Leonis, not one of these nations knew of the terrible, gruesome and centuries-long conflict that had plagued and divided Leonis right down the middle. It was not the sort of war that took place on an open battlefield; where rivers were formed from the blood of fallen soldiers; where the sounds of gunfire and agonised screams were more commonplace than morning birdsong; where the only reward for patriotism was living to see another sunrise. The war of Leonis was a war that took place behind closed doors, between politicians and monarchs and aristocrats._

_In Leonis, there are two districts: The Ebony District and the Ivory District. The Ivory District surrounds the Ivory Palace and is made of equally palatial architecture – everywhere you look is a picture of wealth and the key to drawing outside attention from the rest of the world. In fact, many tourists are surprised to hear that a second district exists. However, the Ebony District is described as off-limits, and no reason has ever been given to explain why, but any curious tourists are swiftly distracted by promise of finding their own wealth in the Ivory District, leaving the Ebony District completely undisturbed. This was the war that Leonis was fighting; the Ebony District was fighting to be seen and to be heard, while the Ivory District fought to silence them and to blind the rest of the world to them. The Leonis royal family ruled with the iron fist of totalitarian governance. There were no media networks in Leonis, no newspapers, strict policies on technologies and information was spread on a need-to-know basis and in secret, dimly-lit offices throughout the Ivory District. Among those who know of this war in the Ivory District, little is actually known about the origin of the war, only that it had to be continued no matter the cost. In fact, the only surviving information was archived in the royal family’s personal libraries, but even the royal family did not know it was there, for it was long forgotten many moons before Arthur Lionheart’s coronation._

_The conflict began about a thousand years before little Edward Lionheart was born. A group of intrepid explorers were looking for new land to settle, having escaped from a civil war in their own homeland. Having sailed for months on end with only hope and fear encouraging them to move forward, they came across what seemed to be a flat, expansive and, most crucially, uninhabited section of land. It was not long before the settlers were able to build their own homes, harvest the native produce and hunt wildlife to slaughter for food. A small community was established, and more and more escapees from the civil war, having heard news of this new land, fled there. Many perished along the way, but every new boat that arrived brought new leases of life for the community – better weapons to hunt; more materials to restructure their homes; more produce to farm and harvest. After a few decades the community, though small, began to thrive. When people began discussing what to call their new home, a suggestion was made to name it after the leader of the first group that had arrived there, a man named Leon. Thus, Leonis came to be and its four walls only grew with every winter. Within roughly a century, Leonis had overtaken roughly twenty times the territory it had had in its humble beginning. But this prosperity and self-nurtured success came to an abrupt halt when some unwanted guests began visiting the city._

_One morning, several farmers had woken up to find many of their cattle had been slaughtered, taken or mutilated in the night. Outrage, they took to the streets, accusing one another of trying to take out competition. The leader of Leonis, a descendent of the original travellers, calmed the quarrelling farmers and asked to see the damage for himself. After assessing the various carcases, the leader noted that they had all been killed in the same way – a simple, clean and precise slit to the throat. The perpetrator obviously knew how to kill these animals efficiently, and the leader suspected that the newer generations of farmers of Leonis would not know to kill them this way. Furthermore, the fact that all farms were victimised suggested a third party, so the leader devised a plan to trap any repeat visitors. No details on the method have survived the test of time, but what information was left behind depicts how a boy of no more than fifteen years was caught one night, wrestling with a particularly noisy animal, slashing at the poor creature with a long, scimitar-like blade. He was unlike anything the community had ever seen – despite being only a teenager, he towered over most adults and had long, black hair that fell to just below his shoulder blades. The most notable thing about the boy to Leonis was his skin tone, a tone darker than anything they had seen before. The boy was detained, despite attempts to run away, and brought to the leader’s home in chains. When the town leader tried to ask the boy why he had done what he had, the boy began muttering words in an unfamiliar tongue, his native language. Nobody, not even the more intellectual members of the community, could identify the language, so the leader had to improvise. He decided to wait and keep the boy imprisoned – he believed that whoever had sent him would eventually come looking for him, a hunch which disastrously came to fruition._

_A few days later, a group of hooded figures approached the outskirts of Leonis. Rumours of the strangers swiftly reached the leader, and he marched out with some soldiers to greet them, bringing the boy still in his iron shackles. Once the leader arrived at the outskirts, he silently and cautiously approached the hooded figures, dragging the boy behind him on the dusty dirt of the road. Even though their faces were obscured, the leader could tell that his treatment of the boy had greatly angered the figure stood at the front of the group, who he assumed was their leader. A large crowd had gathered around the stand-off, the air filled with a heavy tension that could make one break out in a dense sweat if he were exposed to it too long. The visitors then lowered their hoods, and there were many audible gasps among the crowd; all of the strangers, men and women, had the same dark skin tone as the captive. The strangers’ leader’s stare was fixed on the boy, a look of fury and concern stretched across his face. The leader of Leonis asked if they were to collect the boy, and a look of confusion stretched over the group’s face, not understanding the language of the community they had walked into. The group’s leader barked a single word, and the group parted to let a single, feeble girl timidly walk to his side. He angrily shouted some instructions at her in their own language and pointed at the boy in chains. The girl nodded, her gaze not lifting from the ground and she moved slowly towards the chief of Leonis and started mumbling some incoherent words. Another shout from her leader forced her to meet the steely gaze of the man who held one of her clan._

_“Please…” she was clearly not used to using another language, but it was clear enough for those within earshot to hear. “That boy… brother… please give back…”_

_“This boy is your brother?” the leader of Leonis asked. The girl nodded feebly, her eyes hastily returning to look at the floor._

_“Yes.”_

_“Your brother has caused a lot of problems for my people. Tell me, why has he been killing and attacking our animals?” The girl shook her head._

_“Animals… not yours… belong to land…”_

_“Belong to the land?”_

_“My brother… he save animals… from chalk people…”_

_“Chalk people? Why do you name us chalk, girl?”_

_“We say chalk… skin is white like chalk…”_

_“Well, your skin is the colour of mud – shall my people call your people the mud people?” The girl said nothing to that question, perhaps because she didn’t fully understand the undertones of what the man was suggesting. “I do not want to see you again, nor are your people welcome to my city.”_

_“Not yours…” the girl insisted, “this land… for life. Not possession.” The girl’s comments were slowly infuriating Leonis’ leader, and so he decided to teach them a lesson._

_“I will return this boy to you.” The girl quickly looked at him with grateful tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. “I did not say I will return him alive.” The look of gratitude was quickly replaced by a look of horror and she turned back to her group. She and her leader quickly exchanged some flustered words of confusion as she struggled to translate what she had just been told. Eventually the message came across, and their leader started marching towards his Leonis counterpart, but he was too late. Before the first step had even been taken, the leader of Leonis had grabbed the boy off the floor and had pressed a knife against his throat, the action stopping the cloaked men in their tracks._

_“Please…” the girl whispered between choked sobs, “do not hurt…”_

_“You will tell them everything I say, girl. Understand?” The statement was said with such venom that the girl immediately stopped crying. She slowly turned to face her people and said something that made them silent. _

_ _  
“Your people have brought nothing but problems for mine,” the leader of Leonis began to say, loud enough for everyone in the crowd, which had been silent throughout the whole exchange, to hear. “This boy, and I don’t doubt others like him, are a nuisance. But they are something more than that, they are a threat. And threats to my people will be annihilated.” He waited for the girl to translate, and he felt a small smirk tug at his lips as he watched the cloaked people turn desperate. They all suddenly got on their knees and begged and wailed in their native language. He asked the girl what they were saying._ _

__

__

_“They say… please do not hurt… we leave and never come back…”_

__

__

_“Good,” said the leader thoughtfully, but he had already made up his mind. He slashed with the knife, and the boy fell to the ground, blood spewing from his neck. A second of complete, bewildered silence echoed across what seemed the whole of Leonis, a silence which was broken by the shrill scream of the girl, who cradled the boy’s body in her arms. The others looked at the sight in terror, anger and shock, then swarmed to the girl’s side, their wails accompanying hers as she held the still-bleeding boy. The leader looked at the boy, watching emotionlessly as the light drained from his eyes, how his spluttering, gargling and choking on his own blood slowly stopped as his life ebbed away._

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__

_The leader of the visitors stood up; his eyes lit with such a fierce hatred that it looked as though they might catch alight. He grabbed the girl by her arm and lifted her forcefully to her feet and barked some commands at her, causing her to flinch. She muttered a few intelligible words, to which her leader shouted again._

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_“War…” she finally managed to utter, “you begin war with us.”_

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_The leader of Leonis only laughed in response and demanded the rest of the visitors be taken away and tortured for information about where the rest of their clan was located. They soon learned that over mountainous terrain on the near horizon was a large settlement of natives to the land. As soon as their location was revealed, the leader of Leonis personally executed all the other visitors and pinned their still-bleeding corpses to the front gates of his kingdom, as a sign to others that would come, just as their comrades had done for the boy. He only kept the girl alive, for he reasoned she would be useful as both an interpreter between the two clans and a piece of selfish entertainment on his lonelier nights. He found her very attractive, even though he knew she was disgusted by him, but that did not stop him from frequently taking advantage of her. During the following months, many groups from the mountainside clan tried to attack Leonis, only to meet the same fate as their brethren. The small attacks proved to be invaluable training for the ever-increasing number of men keen to show their patriotism through bloodshed, and soon the leader had a force large enough to storm the other settlement. As they rode on horseback across emerald plains, rocky terrain and over gushing rivers, the leader thought of only one thing – naming the war. His war. As they reached the settlement of their previous visitors’ clan, the leader of Leonis’ mind drifted to the boy he had murdered. This was has started because a mere child killed some animals, he thought. But we were ready to live peacefully in Leonis, a peace which these… ebony folk have disrupted for the last time. Then it came to him, the name of his war._

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_“Men, to arms!” he bellowed. “It’s time we end the threat to our people. Let us end the War of Ebony and Ivory!”_

__

__

_Rather ironically, the war did not end, as was the expectation of the people of Leonis. At least, not completely. Though the battle had been swift, one-sided and drenched in blood, it had not ended. Those who survived the storming of their settlement were kept as prisoners and forced to work in Leonis at free labour, their payment being the opportunity to live. For generations, the ‘Ebonies’ toiled on ‘Ivory’ farms or helped to construct the continuously-growing kingdom of Leonis. During the centuries, a monarchy was established and whispers of Leonis’ self-created success reached other nations and kingdoms. Leonis became one of the centres of world trade, and its wealth only grew and grew at the same, blistering rate of its four walls. The Ivories benefited most from the booming wealth of Leonis, but the Ebonies also profited. In the shadows, they were able to grab a small section of Leonis and build their own, comparatively tiny community where the only skills they needed were those to survive. So long as they did as the Ivories ordered, they would be spared, and that was all they needed. Eventually, a silent agreement was made between the leaders of Ebony and Ivory Leonis; Ebony Leonis would remain a secret enveloped in shadow, and Ivory Leonis would gift a miniscule fraction of their wealth to the Ebonies. Thus, the war continued through the contemptuous gazes and words that would be exchanged between the two peoples every time they saw one another. It was a delicate, silent and exhausting war that threatened to spill into more bloodshed at any given moment, but the hostile relationship held and held and soon became the norm. Ebonies raised one another to loathe Ivories, while Ivories were raised to pretend there was no second half to Leonis. The origin of the War of Ebony and Ivory has see been lost to passing of time, but the royal family’s library held the only known extracts of text that held any notion of where the Ebonies and Ivories’ detest for one another began, and this was deliberate. In the modern era, Leonis was known as an urban beacon of prosperity. If anyone knew of its evil and twisted past, the kingdom had so much to lose; the records were therefore archived deep in the Ivory Palace’s library, until one day when an inquisitive prince discovered them by a mere accident. That prince was Edward Lionheart._

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_\---_

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_Edward was born into a loving family just like any other child, but he was a child whose destiny was determined before he could even open his eyes. His mother and father were the reigning monarchs of Leonis, and he was to be raised as the crown prince. Growing up, his life was an assimilation of learning his royal duties, the subtle craft of leadership and of course scholarly matters such as foreign relations, sociology and psychology._

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__

_Edward’s parents took a very passive role in their son’s upbringing; they loved the boy dearly but had little time to play or relax. Most of Edward’s care was provided by his personal servant, a gentleman named Malcolm, who was the son of a close family friend. Malcolm was eighteen years old when Edward was born, and had watched him grow into a mature, intelligent and sensitive young man. An unbreakable bond developed between the two; Malcolm would spend many hours in the library with the prince, reading and researching together. Despite the impending day of Edward’s coronation (it was tradition for the child of the reigning monarch to take over upon their twentieth birthday), Malcolm insisted on injecting fun into the prince’s lengthy days of education, much to the chagrin of the king. On many occasions, Edward would notice that bruises had appeared on Malcolm’s arms or face, and although Edward knew they had come from his father, Malcolm always lied and told him he was a clumsy person with a half-hearted laugh._

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__

_Malcolm was a rare type of Ivory in that he detested the Ivory District. Like Edward, he had one day stumbled across the fragments of details regarding the War of Ebony and Ivory and was distraught by the contents. He had already been a man who was fiercely against the divide, and the consequential malevolence with which his people treated the Ebonies, but his discovery only cemented his views. The day he read those documents, he resolved to guide Edward down a different path, to teach him that such a divide between districts was irrational, formulated to benefit the Ivory District. But Malcolm knew that he could not outright show that he had discovered the documents; they had been hidden so precariously in the library that he knew they were not intended to be discovered. Malcolm knew he had to protect Edward from being like every other Ivory, like his father who was a devout believer in the superiority of Ivories, so he stopped teaching Edward history and politics and focused more on the arts in an attempt to distract Edward from finding out the truth. Of course, Edward knew about the Ebony District, but he had never seen it and believed it to be just as beautiful and successful as the Ivory District. However, Malcolm’s attempt to squander Edward’s awareness of the ongoing war between the two Districts failed, not through any fault of Malcolm’s, but of one tragic event that set events spiralling out of control._

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_The Ebony District’s number of dissenters was growing, and it was growing rapidly. More and more petty thefts, robberies and muggings had been taking place throughout the kingdom, and the culprits were rarely caught, but everyone knew they were from the Ebony District. At first, all it took were a few loud and frightening police marches through the Ebony District to lower their morale, but they were eventually met with more and more resistance. The crimes became more daring – assaults, vandalism and the value of stolen objects kept growing. Tension between the two districts heated to a boiling point which culminated in one big attack, launched upon the royal family itself. A coup d’état._

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__

_It was midnight, and Edward was awoken by the sound of someone screaming. A woman, screaming in agony. He jolted out of bed and ran into the corridor to see his night-watchmen standing with their weapons positioned to kill. All around the palace he could hear shouts and screams._

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_“What is going on?” He demanded from the guards._

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_“We’ve orders to protect you, Your Highness. A group of Ebonies has swarmed the palace.”_

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_“I heard a woman screaming,” Edward stated. He noticed the two guard exchange a worried glance. “Who was that woman? I demand to know!”_

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_  
“Your Highness, please remain in your chambers. No one is going to get to you, our lives are sworn to be shields to your own.”_

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_“You know I hate it when you treat yourselves as lower than me, cease that immediately. Who is that woman?”_

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_“Edward! My friend!” Malcolm was running towards them, a serious expression on his face. To the untrained eye, Malcolm looked unperturbed by the attack, but Edward could see the panic in his friend’s eyes._

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_“Malcolm! What is happening?”_

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_“You must hide inside your chambers! A group of men from the Ebony District has attacked the palace, and we need to keep you and your family safe, whatever the cost.”_

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_“Malcolm, where are my parents?” Malcolm was silent. “Malcolm…?”_

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_“Please, Edward,” Malcolm sounded desperate, and gestured to Edward’s chambers. Edward sighed and allowed Malcolm to usher him inside. Once inside, Edward turned to Malcolm._

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_“Will you _please_ explain what is happening? Why aren’t you answering my questions, Malcolm? What’s really going on?” Malcolm rubbed his face with his hands and groaned loudly._

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_“They jumped us… I don’t know how they got the layout of this palace down so precisely, but they did. Edward, there’s no easy way to say this…”_

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_“Malcolm, you’re my closest friend in this whole kingdom,” said Edward with a half-smile, “I’m sure even the worst news wouldn’t dent me if it were to come from your lips.”_

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_“Then listen well, my prince,” responded Malcolm, who finally dared to look his friend in the eye. Edward was startled to see tears. “They found your parents’ chambers. Your father was quick to fend them off and counterattack. He’s wounded, but he’s helping the soldiers quell the attackers.”_

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_“And my mother? How is my mother?” A single, wet bead cascaded slowly down Malcolm’s left cheek._

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_“She’s dead.”_

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_\---_

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_Two years had passed since the coup, and the Ivory District had changed much in those two years. Wrecked by the loss of his wife, Arthur Lionheart began to descend into madness and his hatred of Ebonies all but consumed him. His iron-fist approach to ruling the nation solidified and he became paranoid and sick, suspecting anyone who acted slightly differently as a potential traitor. Many lost their faith in his ability to rule and began to turn to Edward for guidance on the kingdom’s matters. Edward took to such responsibilities with great aplomb, and often used them as a distraction when his mind drifted to the death of his mother. Whispers of Edward becoming the king before his twentieth birthday surfaced, and his father caught wind of it and was furious. One day, he demanded an audience with his son. Edward entered his father’s throne room with trepidation but there was also a quiet confidence to stand up to his father, who had become cold and uncaring towards him._

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_“I have come at your request, father,” Edward began with a bow._

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_“Do you know why I summoned you here, boy?” Edward flinched a little at the use of the word ‘boy’. He couldn’t lie to himself; the form of address did hurt him, as his father no longer spoke to his son by name._

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_“No, father.”_

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_“No, _Your Majesty." 

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_“No, Your Majesty,” Edward corrected himself, anger flashing across his face._

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_“I brought you here,” began the king, “because there are rumours about you that displease me. Do you know what those rumours are, boy?”_

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_“No, fa- Your Majesty,” lied Edward. He knew exactly what the rumours were._

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_“The people are talking of a new king. A king who will take over my throne before it is their time. Do you know who they speak of, boy?”_

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_“I would imagine they speak of me, Your Majesty.”_

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_“You imagine correctly,” snorted the king. “But they’re wrong, you know. You will not usurp me, boy. Do you understand?”_

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_“I assure you, Your Majesty, I never had any intention-”_

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_“Spare me your dribble!” the king shouted, and Edward immediately closed his mouth. The last thing he wanted was to make his father’s temper erupt like a volcano. He had to act calmly and respond as his father wanted, not how he himself wanted._

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_“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”_

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_“Listen well, boy. You will be king when you turn twenty years of age, as is Leonis tradition. But lately, I’ve been thinking…”_

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_“Your Majesty?”_

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_“Traditions are so boring. Sometimes, change is needed. I’ve been mulling over my time as leader of this great kingdom, and I don’t quite think I’m ready to hand it over to some petulant brat who spends more time with his manservant than with his own father.”_

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_“What are you saying?” Edward had given up on formalities this point; the direction of his father’s speech was beginning to greatly unsettle him._

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_“I am changing the law. From this day onward, the next in line has to wait for the death of their predecessor before taking the throne.”_

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_  
“You can’t-”_

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_“I AM YOUR KING!” Edward’s father roared. “I will do as I please! You dare order me around, boy? You know nothing of what it means to be king! Nothing!”_

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_“And you know nothing of what it means to be a father!” Edward regretted the words as soon as their echo floated around the room._

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_“What… what did you just say to me?” seethed his father. Edward inhaled sharply, and a sudden anger coursed through his body._

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_“Oh, I have no doubt you heard exactly what I said. You, a father? Pitiful!”_

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_“How dare you…”_

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_“I wasn’t finished speaking, father. You have neglected me these past few years. Ever since mother died, you have become a shell of the man you were once. I looked up to you, you know. I always thought to myself how wonderful I could be if I was even a fraction as brilliant as you were. But now that you’ve shown your true colours, I see now that you love nothing but power. Power has replaced the void left by her loss, and I deem you no longer fit to be the leader of this kingdom!”_

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_“You wretched cretin! I see that Malcolm has softened you… I shall have him dealt with.”_

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_“You will not touch a hair on his head, or I will…”_

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_“You will what, boy? Stop me?” The king laughed maniacally, but then he suddenly frowned. His laughter became a cough, then a wheeze and he clutched at his chest._

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_“Father?”_

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_“What is… what is happening?” His father suddenly collapsed to the floor, his hand frantically scratching at his chest._

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_“Father!”_

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_\---_

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_Edward’s father had suffered a heart attack. That’s what the doctors told him. They told him lots of things that day, but he did not listen. The man he had called father was no longer that to him, despite the fact he was now in hospital. That conversation had all but solidified his opposition to his father, and Edward found himself wondering what his late mother would have thought of the row he had had with his father. Would she have taken a side, or would she have tried to pacify them both? Edward couldn’t find an answer to the question, realising that with every passing year he was forgetting little details about his mother – he wasn’t surprised by this revelation, but it did leave an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He had a much larger issue running around his head. Due to the severity of the heart attack, Arthur Lionheart was no longer fit to carry out his royal duties, so naturally the responsibilities had fallen to his son. Suddenly, Edward was bombarded left and right with legislature, trading opportunity requests and various other tasks. For the young prince, it was overwhelming and had it not been for Malcolm’s valuable and frequent guidance, he surely would have lost his mind like his father. Nevertheless, Edward persevered and quickly required Malcolm’s help less and less as he took to the plights of his kingdom. Word spread quickly of the ease with which Edward had stepped up to the throne, and the whispers that came after Queen Isabella’s death had now become shouts and cheers for the sixteen-year-old. However, there was one task that his advisors had neglected to inform him of, and one day Malcolm himself decided the young king should be told the news. Malcolm walked calmly to the new king’s chambers and knocked on the door four time in quick succession; their secret knock to one another._

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_“Come in, Malcolm,” was the cry from the other side of the oak door, and Malcolm smiled to himself before pushing it open. The king was sitting at his vanity, blankly staring at himself in its small mirror._

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_“How are you, Your Majesty?” Malcolm asked politely._

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_“Even though I am king now,” replied Edward with a small chuckle as he turned to his friend, “you are still under orders to call me Edward when we’re alone.” Malcolm could see how tired Edward’s eyes were, and almost told himself to have this conversation with his friend another time, but he then reasoned he would only delay the inevitable._

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_“As you wish, Edward.”_

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_“Much better! Now, what brings you to my chambers, my friend?”_

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_“Well,” began Malcolm slowly, “I had noticed that your advisors haven’t fully explained what it means to be crowned in this kingdom.”_

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_“You know I don’t like your riddles, Malcolm,” said Edward with a frown, “please just say what you mean.”_

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_“Of course, my apologies,” Malcolm said hastily with a bow, “part of your duties as the new monarch require you to do a tour of all of Leonis – _all _of it. This includes the Ebony District.”_

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_“And why is that a problem?” challenged the king. The question took Malcolm aback._

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_“Well, your life will be in great danger,” explained Malcolm, “you’re an Ivory. Not just that, you’re the king of the Ivories. They loathe you in the Ebony District.”_

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_“I am also their king,” said Edward firmly, “whether they like it or not. It seems I will have to enact changes so that they no longer loathe myself and the Ivories, and the same for Ivories too.”_

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_“Such a change will not be easy to bring about,” exclaimed Malcolm exasperatedly, “and will not be welcomed so easily.”_

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_“Perhaps, but surely you must realise, Malcolm? Our kingdom cannot continue to prosper on the suppression of an entire race. We are pioneers of humanitarianism, yet we are the least humane modern nation on the planet! This country is broken in two, and I intend to be the one to fix it.”_

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_“So, you’re not worried about visiting the Ebony District?”_

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_“I’m terrified. As you said, my life will be in danger because the way the Ivories have treated the Ebonies over the centuries has been abhorrent, and now we are completely scornful to each other. That is not what I want of this country.” Malcolm was silent for a few seconds before responding._

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_  
“You never cease to amaze me, Edward,” he finally settled for._

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_“Now’s not the time to confess your love for me, Malcolm,” said Edward sarcastically, to which Malcolm rolled his eyes and the two laughed._

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_“I shall have your wagon prepared, and a small faction of troops will accompany us just in case anyone tries to assassinate you.”_

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_“It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” The question stunned Malcolm into silence, and he started bug-eyed at the king, who let out a small laugh._

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_“Perhaps that comment was undue, but alas. We will do the visit to the Ebony District tomorrow. Be ready, Malcolm; one of us needs to be.”_

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_\---_

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_The next morning was crisp and cold, as if nature could sense the tension brewing in the air of Leonis as the king prepared to visit the Ebony District, a visit that had not been done since his father had been crowned thirty years prior. Not a single Ivory footstep had touched the soil of the Ebony District in three decades, and Edward knew that, good or bad, history was about to be made. _I am going to end this divide_, was the single thought running through his head as he almost robotically allowed himself to be washed, dressed and lead to his horse-drawn coach. _Even the horses are white_, Edward mused to himself in a mixture of dry humour and disbelief._

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__

_As the coach left the Ivory palace grounds and entered the streets of Leonis’ Ivory District, Edward opened the shutter on his side of the seating. He could hear a small ruckus outside and peered out to see many inquisitive, white faces peering eagerly back at him. Cheers erupted as people noticed him, and he waved cheerily at them. Some men waved their hats as a polite gesture, some children looked at him in awe and mothers cried and tried to lift their babies to his window in the hope he might bestow a kiss in blessing. Edward of course, settled for the polite gesture of smiling and waving to his people, because he knew the cheering would stop once they realised where the coach was headed. Slowly, the numbers of armed guards accompanying the coach at the front, to the sides and at the back increased, and pedestrians had a harder time getting near to the moving coach. Eventually the crowd began to dwindle as the path narrowed and became dirtier with every cobblestone, before disappearing completely as they dared not go near the Ebony District. The uneasy feeling in Edward’s stomach swelled and he put his hand on his chest and felt his heart beating at a noticeably quicker pace._

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_“It’s not too late, you know, Your Highness,” Edward turned to Malcolm, who was also seated in the carriage with him._

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_“No, this must be done. You said so yourself, Malcolm.”_

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_“I know what I said, but you don’t have to act on what I say.”_

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_“This day was unavoidable; ignoring the Ebony District would do nothing to mend our two communities.”_

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_“Do you think you can do this? Do you believe you can really convince the Ebonies to forgive us?”_

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__

_“I don’t believe the Ebonies will be the only one who will need convincing. I’m attempting to undo centuries of silent war, centuries of social suppression and neglect. I don’t believe this one visit will solve anything, but it needs to make an impact.” Suddenly, an idea came to Edward and he ordered for the carriage to be stopped immediately. Once halted, he quickly opened his door and jumped out._

__

__

_“Your Highness!” Malcolm jumped out of his own side of the carriage and ran after the king, who had briskly walked to the front of the group of soldiers, who were looking at him with a bewildered expression. “Your Highness, I insist you return to your carriage at once!”_

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_“Listen to me, gentleman,” ordered Edward, ignoring Malcolm, “from this point onward, our journey to the Ebony District will be on foot.” There were shocked murmurs among the men, and one soldier stepped forward._

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_“But, Your Highness, your life is at risk and we are sworn to protect you. We could never forgive ourselves should anything happen to you.”_

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_“Then you will do well to be on your guard. This visit is more than an obligation – Leonis is going to change. I plan to unite the Ebony and Ivory Districts.”  
  
_

__

_“…what?”_

__

__

_“You heard me, soldiers. Today we are making history. I know that many of you hate the Ebonies, perhaps even fear them, but this needs to stop. We must no longer thrive on their poverty, suppress their culture and deny their rights. We are the greatest nation on Earth, some people say, but I couldn’t disagree more when such squalor exists in my kingdom. Today, I denounce the Ebonies as our enemies and, going forward, we work towards allying with them.”_

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_  
“And if they don’t wish to ally with you, Your Highness?” asked another soldier. Edward thought for a moment, then grimly replied:_

__

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_“Then I hope your aim with that rifle is precise, soldier. My life may depend on it. Now, let’s move. Malcolm and I will lead with your four finest marksmen. The rest of you, follow in threes behind.” The soldiers saluted in affirmation. Malcolm instructed the carriage driver to turn back and promised him a reimbursement for any costs incurred._

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_“Are you sure this is wise?” hissed Malcolm once he had caught up to Edward._

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_“No, but perhaps my brashness will reward me with what I want – tremors in both communities.”_

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_“I hope you’re right, otherwise we’re all fucked…” Edward ignored the inappropriate use of language from his friend and steeled his gaze onwards as the Ebony District slowly came into view. Overhead, the skies turned grey from a blanket of rainclouds. _A storm is due_, Edward thought, _how apt_._

__

__

_Edward had never seen the Ebony District before, and despite his wildest imaginings, its derelict far surpassed all his suppositions. The Ebony District was one, very large circular road, designed that way so that visiting monarchs could do one lap and then leave the way they came. On both sides of the dirty, cracked and uneven road were small, shack-like domiciles that had been shoddily constructed and appeared as though they could collapse if the breeze blew too harshly. A few of the homes had small allotments in front of them, but Edward noticed they were mostly wilted or overgrown with weeds. The Ebony District seemed so lifeless, but with every step that Edward took, he could feel dozens of pairs of eyes upon him, hiding in the shadows. The wind, which whistled loudly in Edward’s ears, seemed to carry the whispers both shocked and angry of the Ebonies and each word felt like a small cut on his skin. The whispering wind aside, the Ebony District was silent in wake of its unwelcome visitors._

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_“Unsurprising,” Malcolm muttered, “that nobody is coming out to greet us.”_

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_“Not at all,” agreed Edward, “but even so, I thought I was the most hated person among these folks. I would have thought someone would have come and heckled us, or thrown things at us, or even attempted to attack me directly.”_

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_“You haven’t had many dealings with the Ebony District,” Malcolm observed, “so it’s possible they may not recognise you, or word of your father’s illness hasn’t reached this part of Leonis.”_

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_“We shall see. It is pretty evident who I am given that the royal guard are following me.”_

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_“I was thinking the same thing,” said Malcolm, “perhaps something will happen.” The two were silent for most of the remaining patrol around the region, as were the streets they walked along. Not a single person was seen other than the king’s group, and Edward became increasingly unsettled with each passing minute. After about another thirty minutes of silence, Malcolm stopped in his tracks and quickly motioned for the troops to take a defensive stance._

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_“What’s going on, Malcolm?” Edward hissed in a whisper._

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_“There’s movement afoot. Someone, multiple people I think, has been following us for a while now. I think they’re going to try and attack you, Your Highness. Please, allow us to protect you.” Malcolm then reached inside his jacket and pulled out a silver pistol, which he loaded and readied with such speed that Edward almost missed it when he blinked._

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_“Are you sure?” Before Malcolm could respond, one of the guards screamed and fell to the ground, a pool of red forming at his chest where an arrow had struck him. His body jerked for a few seconds before he lay still._

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_“Shit…” Malcolm growled._

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_“Men, we are under attack! You have my permission to shoot to kill, but only as a last resort. Aiming to incapacitate the enemy is your priority, and that is an order!” Edward demanded firmly._

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_“Understood!” the men said, and they formed a protective circle around their king. Edward knelt down by the fallen soldier and grimaced at the vacant expression on the man’s face._

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_“I promise,” said Edward sadly, “your service to my family will not go unrewarded. We will return your body to your family, my good man. I am so sorry…” Trembling, he closed the man’s eyes with his fingers and stood up to look around, trying to ascertain where the attackers were, but could see nothing. Then, they appeared. A group of hooded figures, all armed with bows and a quiver of arrows, jumped out from behind some nearby houses, their bows aimed directly at Edward. Edward’s guard quickly aimed their own weapons at the attackers, while Malcolm stood directly by his king, frantically looking for any possible attackers from other directions. Ignoring the threat to his life, Edward brushed past his guard’s barricade and approached the group._

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_“Your Highness!” hissed Malcolm. “I beg you, come back here!”_

__

__

_“If these men wanted to kill me, Malcolm,” Edward said loudly so that the hooded archers could hear him, “something tells me that they already would have done so by now.” The archers looked at one another through their garments. The one that Edward assumed was their leader raised his hand, and they all lowered their weapons. Edward made a similar gesture and his guards mirrored the opposition’s actions. “You have killed an innocent man today.”_

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__

_“He is an Ivory, he has more blood on his hands than any of us could dream of,” was the response._

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__

_“You may believe that to be the case, but that is no reason for you to sully your own hand. My men and I did not come here to attack you.”_

__

__

_“You know nothing of this war, _king_,” the leader seethed, “you are merely just a continuation of the very thing we hate - Ivory totalitarianism. It’s in your blood, and we would be glad to spill it onto the ground!”_

__

__

_“Your words do not unsettle me,” Edward lied. He was using all his might to stop his knees from shaking with fear, but he had to hold his ground. “You know as well as I that killing me would be disastrous for the Ebony District – the Ivory Guard would flatten this place in minutes. But I do not want that.”_

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__

_“Then what do you want? Why have you come here, the place where you and your kind are the least welcome?” the leader spat._

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__

_“I’m going to change this country,” said Edward flatly._

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__

_“And how do you plan on doing that? Exploiting us even further for your own personal gain?”_

__

__

_“I am ending this war.”_

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__

_“What?”_

__

__

_“I’m bored of it all – the war makes no sense and it was, rather regrettably, started by my people. I am truly sorry that the Ebonies have had to live in such squalor for so many centuries and at the hands of my forefathers.”_

__

__

_“You really think you can just reverse centuries of neglect and abuse at the click of your fingers? You’re still a child.”_

__

__

_“And I am still your king.”_

__

__

_“We will never acknowledge you as king.”_

__

__

_“And are you at liberty to talk on behalf of the whole Ebony District?” The cloaked figure was silent, but Edward could tell he was shaking with rage. There was a loud rumble in the distance, and Edward looked up to see that storm clouds were gathering nearby._

__

__

_“You need to leave. Take your dead man, your fanciful dream of unity and go back to where you came from and leave us al-” The man didn’t finish his sentence. A single gunshot rang out in the still air of the Ebony District, and the leader of the Ebony archers shuddered as a spray of red erupted from his head, drizzling crimson dots over Edward’s neck and face. Time seemed to freeze in that moment, and there was single scream._

__

__

_“No!” Edward rushed forward and caught the man in his arms before he fell, but he was already dead. “No, no!” He pulled back the cloak to reveal the face of a handsome young man, no older than Edward at first glance. He had bright green eyes that now stared blankly at the sky. Angry tears fell from Edward’s face; he did not know why he was crying, but the sky began to cry with him as large droplets of rain began to splatter the dark pavement._

__

__

_“Who did it?” roared Malcolm, turning furiously to the guards. “Whose gun fired that shot?” One of the recruits feebly raised their hand, the smoke still rising from the barrel of their weapon. Malcolm recognised him as one of the newer recruits and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and brought their faces so close together that their noses almost touched._

__

__

_“I’m sorry sir, I thought…”_

__

__

_“No, soldier, you didn’t think at all!” Malcolm continued to shout. “Guards, arrest this man immediately.”_

__

__

_“But, sir, shooting one of _them_ isn’t a crime-” one of the guards began to argue, but he was cut off by a swift blow to the face from Malcolm._

__

__

_“One of _them_ is still a citizen of Leonis, whether they’re an Ebony or an Ivory, soldier, and you would do well to remember that. This recruit has committed murder, in the presence of His Highness no less, and for that he will be punished. Do not question my orders!”_

__

__

_“Yes, sir,” the guard retreated and handcuffed the newer recruit, who had begun to cry, hanging his head in shame._

__

__

_“You will have to live with that act for the rest of your life, recruit,” said Malcolm solemnly, “His Highness was going to make a change today, and you’ve ruined that chance.” Malcolm turned away from the recruits and marched towards Edward, who was still trying to tend to the Ebony archer. The other archers, who had now broken from their stupor, watched in bafflement as Edward tried to dress the wound._

__

__

_“Why are you helping him? I thought Ivories wouldn’t dare touch an Ebony?” one of them said._

__

__

_“Not all Ivories are the same,” said Malcolm as he knelt down next to Edward. “And I’m sure the same can be said of Ebonies, correct?”_

__

__

_“We are all united in our hatred of Ivories,” one of them said defiantly._

__

__

_“And in murder?” There was no answer, so Malcolm turned his attention back to Edward. “Your Highness, I think we should leave. Let these people take care of one of their own now, I don’t think this man would want his corpse to be handled by an Ivory, especially the monarch.”_

__

__

_“Why did this happen?” whispered Edward, as he closed the archer’s emerald eyes, just as he had done with the murdered guard from his own troupe._

__

__

_“There is no success in war,” said Malcolm, “war does not care who is right, only about those who are left. We have all survived this encounter, Ebony and Ivory alike.”_

__

__

_“Wise words for an Ivory,” spat one of the archers. Edward stood and faced the group._

__

__

_“This needs to change. Two lives were lost today, and they were thrown away so needlessly. Why must we continue to live as a divide and not as one nation.”_

__

__

_“You kill us for sport! You enslave us, you exploit us, and you mock us! Why would we want to be _united_ with people who treat us like animals?” cried one of the archers menacingly._

__

__

_“Silence!” bellowed Edward, and everyone including Malcolm, flinched. “I don’t want to treat the residents of the Ebony District like that! I don’t want anyone to be treated like that!”_

__

_  
“Well, you’re a few centuries too late!”_

__

__

_“And what of the next century, and the century after that, and the next one? How long do you intend to live in our shadow? Don’t you understand? That’s not the Leonis I want for this world, nor for any world!”_

__

__

_“Stop arguing with him,” said one archer, putting their hand on the shoulder of the figure who had been arguing with Edward, “we need to return his body to _him.”_ The man sighed._

__

__

_“You’re right, he’s our priority now,” he walked forwards and knelt down by his comrade’s body and pressed his hand against his chest in silent prayer. “You and your troupe should leave. Your actions baffle me today, King Edward, but they have not gone unnoticed. We’ll be in touch.” Before Edward could respond, the man hoisted his friend’s body over his shoulder and the group took off into the rain, which was now getting so heavy that their departing bodies soon disappeared._

__

__

_Edward sunk to the ground. He wanted to say something, but all he could do was scream into the dirt as he pounded his fist into it. Malcolm watched him noiselessly and signalled for the guards to return to the Ivory District, instructing them to take the long way that lead to the cellar of the Ivory Palace; if they carried a dead man through the streets, there was no doubt that there would be repercussions for the Ebonies, upon whom Malcolm knew the blame would immediately fall. Once the soldiers began to leave, Malcolm returned to Edward, who was now on his feet staring at the sky as the rain grew lighter. _Despite the tragedies of today, _Malcolm thought, _today is the day that you have truly become King, my friend. I could not be prouder. 

__

__

_“Edward, we must return to the Palace.” The king didn’t respond, but he did look at his friend. The despair that was etched on Edward’s face startled Malcolm, so he did the only thing he could think to do and embraced him. Edward held onto his friend tightly and the tears kept falling, but this time, Malcolm wept too._

__

__

_\---_

__

__

_Several weeks passed, and Edward once again found himself entering the Ebony District. True to the archer’s word, an invitation to meet with the elder of the Ebony District had somehow found its way to the Ivory Palace. It instructed Edward to come to house at the centre of the Ebony Ring Road, alone. Despite Malcolm’s insistence on taking at least one guard with him, Edward vehemently declined and said that this meeting was something that he had do alone, one leader to another. With a blessing from Malcolm, Edward left the Ivory Palace at the stroke of eleven in the evening, quietly snaking through the various streets and alleys to avoid being seen by his subjects. He had dressed like an ordinary citizen to draw less attention to himself and managed to get into the Ebony District without much hassle. Within the hour, he was stood at the front doors of the house mentioned in the invitation. Edward took a few deep breaths before knocking on the panel of rotten oak that acted as the door. The door ominously swung open as soon as Edward’s knuckles rapped against it, and Edward cautiously stepped inside; the room he had entered was void of any furniture or signs of life and was barely lit by a couple of half-melted candles that hung awkwardly along the walls. Edward then started when he noticed that one of the archers from that incident was stood at the back of the room, silently observing him. Edward couldn’t see their face and before he could speak, the figure walked away and disappeared into the dark of the hallway behind them. Edward understood that as an instruction to follow them, but he didn’t know where he was going, nor what he would encounter. Once more, cautious footstep after cautious footstep, Edward advanced towards another dark, damp-smelling room. This room was so dark in comparison to the first that even when he squinted his eyes, Edward could not see anything. He looked around to see if he could make out the archer that had led him here, but they were lost in the shadows, just as they had been when they attacked his troupe. Suddenly, there was a laugh at the back of the room. A deep laugh that reverberated all around Edward and seemed to rattle his skeleton while inside his body. He felt the person was laughing at him mockingly, and he frowned before calling out._

__

__

_“Who’s there?” he demanded._

__

__

_“I am your enemy, Little Lionheart. Or perhaps… it would be better to say I am a friend?”_

__

__

_“If you were a friend,” retorted Edward, “there would be no need to cower in the shadows from me.” The voice laughed again._

__

__

_“I like that answer, Little Lionheart. Very well, let us have this conversation face to face. Girls, bring us candles!” There was a tiny jingling sound, and four beautiful Ebony girls glided into the room, their bodies slightly illuminated by the large candles they grasped. Dressed in loose, swaying and glittering fabrics of blues, greens, purples and reds, they each danced completely synchronised to the four corners of the room and placed the candles down onto the floor. Thanks to their combined light, Edward was able to make out the faint figure of a large man sat at a table at the back of the room. He was a very tall and very fat man, with a great black beard that brushed the surface of the table like a cloth as he marvelled each of the dancers, who had twirled out of the room as briskly as they had entered, not daring to look at either leader as they did so. Edward then realised that this huge man was the Ebony District leader, and his respect for authority automatically made him bow in the man’s presence, only to receive another heart laugh in response._

__

__

_“Oh, Little Lionheart, there are no need for such formalities in my district. Please, won’t you have a seat?” Edward nodded in thanks and silently sat down in the chair opposite the Ebony District leader, who was wearing a huge smile on his face. Edward shamelessly counted five individual gold teeth in the man’s grin._

__

__

_“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, mister…?” Edward then cursed himself for not asking the gentleman’s name._

__

__

_“Again, the formalities,” chuckled the man, “you Ivories never change. I go by Hermes – how would you prefer for me to refer to you? Your Highness? Little Lionheart?”_

__

__

_“Edward will do just fine,” the king replied gruffly, growing increasingly irate at Hermes’ nickname for him._

__

__

_“Excellent! So, Edward,” Hermes leaned in and his expression grew stern, “I suppose we should talk about that event a few weeks ago, shouldn’t we?” Edward visibly tensed._

__

__

_“I am truly sorry-”_

__

__

_“Nonsense, my boy! It’s all in the past! But my goodness, you were very serious just then, weren’t you?” Hermes began to laugh again, and Edward was left confused by the other man’s bizarre behaviour._

__

__

_“Am I to understand all is forgiven?”_

__

__

_“Well, my men attacked first, I admit. Even though they were given strict instructions not to hurt you unless you started firing those guns of yours. My nephew was never the brightest boy…”_

__

__

_“Your nephew was in that group of archers?” Hermes’ expression darkened._

__

__

_“My nephew was the one your man killed.” Edward’s blood froze._

__

__

_“Hermes, you have me deepest apology. If there is any way I can-”_

__

__

_“My dear Edward,” Hermes interrupted, “if you keep apologising, men like me will take advantage of your weakness.”_

__

__

_“Men like you?”_

__

__

_“Men like _us._ Men in power. Men who are powerful. We wield extraordinary political power, you much more so than I – you’re a king, for crying out loud! We have to be strong, robust and unwavering at all times. If you show _any _weakness, you are better off dead than in that position of power. That’s why your father and his father before him are so revered – they know how to use their power.”_

__

__

_“I don’t follow…” Hermes thought for a moment before clapping his hands and bellowing to the passage Edward had walked through to enter._

__

__

_“Penelope!” The jingling sounded again and a fifth girl, dressed in orange fabrics, moved rhythmically into the room, as though some silent music was moving her. Edward could not take his eyes off her; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Long, black curls of pitch-black hair descended evenly to her sleek shoulders. Her skin was practically glowing with beauty, and she had the roundest amber eyes that Edward kept finding himself lost in. Penelope, like the other girls, dared not look at the Ivory king, and instead focused on Hermes, curtsying as she approached him. “Penelope, do you know who our guest is?”_

__

__

_“No, Father.” Edward’s heart sank – _this is Hermes’ daughter? 

__

_“This, my angel, is Edward Lionheart, the current king of Leonis.” Penelope put her hands to her mouth and gasped audibly before turning to Edward._

__

__

_“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for not recognising you, Your Highness. That was very rude of me, I beg your forgiveness!” Shocked by the sudden change in demeanour, Edward raised his hands and smiled nervously._

__

__

_“Umm, Penelope, is it? There’s no need to worry, ma’am, I’m not offended at all. Please, you can get off the floor…” Penelope, thoroughly embarrassed, stood and looked directly at Edward. Her gaze stunned the king, but her eyes hastily shifted back to her father._

__

__

_“Is there anything I can do for you and His Highness, Father?”_

__

__

_“That’s why I called you hear, my angel,” said her father, beaming at her proudly, “I want to ask our king a few questions. All I want you to do is stand there for me, okay?” Giving her father a confused look, Penelope slowly nodded and moved to stand in front of Edward. The king, who was still in sheer admiration of Hermes’ daughter, coughed nervously as she came closer and struggled to look her in the eye._

__

__

_“Now then, Edward, your first question. How would you describe my daughter Penelope? And please, keep it succinct.”_

__

__

_“Describe her? Well,” Edward fumbled for the right words, “she is… umm, that is… she-”_

__

__

_“Out with it, Edward. I’m waiting.”_

__

__

_“She’s the most captivating woman I’ve ever seen in my life. Ever.” The room went silent as Edward blurted out his answer, and Penelope once again gasped audibly, but a soft smile threatened to play on her lips as she blushed. Edward, on the other hand, sank so far into his chair in embarrassment he was at risk of falling onto the floor. Even Hermes seemed taken aback by the brutal honesty with which Edward had responded to the question, but he quickly recovered._

__

__

_“Well, when her father is this good-looking,” he chortled, “it’s only natural for his daughter to be a beauty too. Now, my second question. What do you think Penelope thinks about you?”_

__

__

What she thinks about me? _Edward thought for a few moments, gazing at Penelope. Flustered by the attention, Penelope looked down at her feet and said nothing. Finally, Edward turned back to Hermes._

__

__

_“I don’t know what your daughter thinks about me, Hermes. I’m sorry, but I can’t answer your question.” Hermes merely shook his head._

__

__

_“Try again, Little Lionheart.” Edward frowned but took a few more minutes to think._

__

__

_“I think,” he began, “that she fears me, doesn’t she?” Penelope’s eyes widened, but she didn’t look up._

__

__

_“And why do you think she is scared of you?”_

__

__

_“I am an Ivory. She doesn’t fear me because I am a king, nor because I am a man. She fears me because I am an Ivory.”_

__

__

_“Well, Penelope? Is our guest correct?”_

__

__

_“Yes, Father,” was the immediate response, and Edward felt as though his heart had snapped in two pieces._

__

__

_“Well, Edward, you were right on the-”_

__

__

_“Please wait, Father, I have something else to say.” Hermes smiled at his daughter, but Edward could see that he was annoyed at the interruption._

__

__

_“Oh? What is it, my angel?”_

__

__

_“I apologise for the interruption, but I want to say something. It is true, I fear His Highness, but he is different to that other Ivory who was here. You know - _that _Ivory. But our guest, he is much different to him, and he is also different from the Ivories I have heard stories about, Father. So, although I am afraid – very afraid – I do not _want _to fear him.” Hermes stroked his chin in thought, and then flashed all of his golden teeth at the young girl._

__

__

_“What a fantastic answer that is, my angel!” Penelope returned the smile._

__

__

_“Thank you, Father.”_

__

__

_“Pardon me,” said Edward, “but another Ivory was here? How recently?”_

__

__

_“Penelope, would you mind playing some piano for our guest?” Hermes requested from his daughter, seeming to ignore Edward’s question. “Father loves listening to you play.”_

__

__

_“Yes, Father. Your Highness, is there anything you wish to hear?”_

__

__

_“Oh, no. I mean, yes, I would very much like to hear you play, but I have no preference for any piece,” Edward stammered with the most confidence he could muster, but he knew he looked a fool._

__

__

_“Very well, Your Highness,” Penelope replied, and she moved gracefully towards a small piano that was tucked away in the corner of the room by one of the candles the other girls had brought in. Edward hadn’t even noticed it when he had come in. Penelope’s small, gentle fingers briefly brushed over the keys before she began to play a slow, melancholy piece. It was a simple piece, but it was effective, and Edward could see clearly that this was an important song to Hermes’ daughter._

__

__

_“This is my favourite song,” Hermes noted, a glint of reminiscence in his eyes._

__

__

_“If I may, you didn’t answer my question,” pressed Edward, and Hermes raised an eyebrow at him._

__

__

_“You’re the second Ivory to step foot into my home, Edward. The first Ivory… was your father, Arthur.”_

__

__

_“My father was here? But why? He hates Ebonies!”_

__

__

_“I think ‘hate’ is gentle word for how your father feels about us, especially after what we did to your poor mother.”_

__

__

_“You know about that?”_

__

__

_“I know everything that happens in my District, at all times. When I heard the news that your mother was sadly no longer among us, I knew that it had been an Ebony assassin. Now it is my turn to apologise for what we did to you, Edward. I hope you can forgive me for what I allowed to happen. I did not think my people would be so bold as to attack the royal family. Such a crime has not been attempted ever in Ebony history.”_

__

__

_“Thank you, Hermes, for your apology.” Hermes looked startled by the king’s peaceable response._

__

__

_“You are not angry?”_

__

__

_“I was,” Edward corrected, “when it happened, I was lost. I wanted to cry, I wanted scream, and then that voice in my head told me it was the fault of the Ebonies. That I should go and execute every Ebony man, woman and child as punishment for what they dare do to their king. Had it not been for my guide, Malcolm, I may have even acted on those impulses, but I did not. It took a very long time, but I am healing. Some days are harder than others, but the hardest part is knowing that, bit by bit, I’m forgetting her.” Hermes nodded in understanding._

__

__

_“I’ve heard of this Malcolm; he sounds like a good man. Mourning is a healing process; one I am familiar with myself. Tell me, what would you say if I told you that your mother’s death was a reaction to another death?”_

__

__

_“I would ask you to clarify exactly what you’re talking about. I would also ask if this has anything to do with my father being here.”_

__

__

_“It has everything to do with the fact your father was here, Edward,” said Hermes distractedly, as though he was lost in a memory as he spoke. “You see, the Ivory and Ebony districts have a lot more in common than both sides would like to admit. My people have long though of ourselves as a shadowy mirror to your people. Unfortunately, this philosophy is sometimes taken to the extreme, and my people adopt an ‘eye-for-an-eye’ attitude.”_

__

__

_“So, you’re implying that my mother’s death was an event that mirrored an event in the Ebony District?”_

__

__

_“Very astute, Edward. Yes, that is correct. The queen of the Ebony District – my wife – was murdered by an Ivory. And then the Ivory queen was murdered by an Ebony.”_

__

__

_“I’m sorry for the loss of your wife, Hermes, truly,” Edward said, “do you perhaps remember who the murderer was? Perhaps I can bring them to some sort of justice, as a small mercy?”_

__

__

_“Are you sure you would want to do that?”_

__

__

_“Of course! Why do you ask?”_

__

__

_“Think back to what I said, Edward. How many Ivories have been in my home?”_

__

__

_“Two – my father and I.”_

__

_  
“And an Ivory murdered my wife. Who do you think that Ivory was?”_

__

__

_“…No…”_

__

__

_“Yes. Your father, Arthur Lionheart, murdered my wife. In front of me, too.” Edward felt a cool chill, and he thought for a moment that the candles would go out and plunge the three of them into darkness. It was then that he noticed that Penelope had stopped playing. He looked over at her and saw her cradling her face in her hands, very obviously crying as she heard the story of her murder._

__

__

_“My father… killed your wife?”_

__

__

_“He did indeed. He shot her, right where Penelope was standing a few moments ago. Of course, I couldn’t do anything; I couldn’t oppose the King, for he would have shot me too, and that would have left Penelope an orphan, which is no life in a place as deplorable as the Ebony District.”_

__

__

_“I don’t understand, why would my father kill an innocent woman?”_

__

__

_“You remember those two questions I asked you about Penelope? I asked your father the same questions about my wife. When I asked him what he thought about my wife, he said: ‘She’s a filthy Ebony, just like the rest of you.’ When I asked him what he thought she thought about him, he said: ‘It is of no consequence what she thinks of me, but as long as she fears me, that will be sufficient for me.’ I then turned to my wife and asked her if your father had answered my question correctly. She agreed, and your father shot her for speaking out of turn, as he put it.”_

__

__

_“My god…”_

__

__

_“That was the worst day of my life,” said Hermes gravely, “and the only small mercy is that poor Penelope was too young to remember what had happened.”_

__

__

_“Hermes, Penelope… I don’t know what to say…”_

__

__

_“Then listen to me, Edward. When I said to you that men like me would take advantage of your kindness, I meant that. You’re a good man, but that can only get you so far as a king – at least, that’s what I thought until this evening that I have spent with you. I can see that you are nothing like your father, and I may have been hasty to judge you._

__

__

_“I think,” replied Edward, “that after so many years of living in the conditions you have, you certainly have the right to hold a grudge against my family. But, as much as you consider me the Ivory king, I am also your king too.”_

__

__

_“My daughter hit the nail on the head earlier. She is scared of you, but she doesn’t want to. I’m afraid I still hate Ivories with a passion, but I don’t want to hate you, Edward.”_

__

__

_“Then I can hope we can build a future where our hatred for one another dissipates. I know it will take many a generation for this to be a reality, but if I can pave the first stone…”_

__

__

_“For one so young,” Hermes mused, “you are a unique Ivory. In fact, you are unlike any man I have ever met. There is not a drop of malice in your blood.”_

__

__

_“I probably get that from my mother,” Edward said quietly._

__

__

_“Wherever she is, I know she would be proud of you.”_

__

__

_“I know that too.” There was silence, then Hermes suddenly clapped his hands together._

__

__

_“Goodness me, it must be getting late! I wouldn’t want to keep the king away from his duties for too long,” Hermes stood, and Edward gaped at his height, as he towered over the king._

__

__

_“Thank you for this conversation. It has been… enlightening,” Edward said with a smile, and he extended his hand. Hermes grinned his golden grin and shook the king’s hand._

__

__

_“If you ever need to come back, my door is open to you. But, for your safety, come at night. I will make sure my archers are positioned to protect you, and only you, should you visit our District again.”_

__

__

_“I do have a request, actually…” said Edward nervously._

__

__

_“Hmm?”_

__

__

_“Your daughter plays piano beautifully. Can she teach me?”_

__

__

_\---_

__

__

_For many months after his first encounter with Hermes, Edward would return to the Ebony District in the darkest hours of night. There, he would chat and dine with the Ebony leader. While there was definitely still tension (Edward certainly wouldn’t say that he and Hermes were friends), their improving relationship gave them hope. Edward would also spend time with Penelope; Hermes had agreed for her to teach the king piano, but under the condition an archer is present at all times. Edward begrudgingly agreed and the two slowly developed a friendship. At first, Penelope wouldn’t even look at him, and would use as few words as possible, but eventually she became more comfortable spending time with the king. The two would forget that they belonged to opposing sides of Leonis – they were lost in their learning experience. Although Edward did want to learn how to play the instrument, he obviously had the ulterior motive of spending more time with Penelope. He noticed that she had a dimple in her right cheek, but not her left. He knew when she was giggling or smiling based on how she positioned her hand to cover her mouth. To Edward, Penelope’s laugh was more melodic than any piano score could ever achieve. When playing together, their hands would be careful to avoid the others at all costs, but then one day Edward was bold enough to fleetingly brush his hand against hers while pretending to reach for a certain chord. Penelope would squeal at the contact and immediately stop playing, but soon she began to return the gesture and then the brushing would last a little longer, and then a little bit more. It was when their fingers entwined and they shared their first kiss behind the piano that Edward finally made the admission to himself._

__

__

I have fallen in love. 

__

_But of course, they knew the dangers of what was happening between them. An Ebony and an Ivory falling in love was unheard of. In fact, it was so taboo that it was a crime by Leonis law. Edward was not surprised to find out that it was his father who had passed that law and had done so before he had even become king. Edward knew he had only a short amount of time before his father recovered fully from his earlier heart attack, and he was unsure how his relationship would be affected should his father find out. Arthur Lionheart had spies in every corner of Leonis; Edward was sure that his father would have caught wind that he had been making frequent visits to the Ebony District. He decided to seek Malcolm’s counsel on the matter, so one day he ordered his friend to come to his chambers to discuss something important._

__

__

_“I rushed over as soon as I could, Your Highness,” panted Malcolm as he burst through Edward’s door._

__

__

_“Malcolm, how many times must I tell you to not use formal register when talking to me privately?” scolded Edward playfully._

__

__

_“Apologies, Edward,” Malcolm chuckled in response, “you wanted to see me?”_

__

__

_“Yes, it’s about the Ebony District.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow quizzically and sat down backwards on a chair near to him, resting his chin on its frame._

__

__

_“The Ebony District? What about it?”_

__

__

_“Well, as you know, I’ve been going there rather frequently in recent months, and I’m sure that my father’s lookouts have been informing him. I am unsure, however, what to tell my father when he inevitably asks what I’ve been doing there.” Malcolm thought for a moment._

__

__

_“Perhaps you could start by telling _me _what you’ve been doing there, hm?” Malcolm proposed. “You’ve been very secretive about your visits, and I had assumed because it was delicate information that you were handling, so I left you to it. Is something wrong?”_

__

__

_“Not in the political sense,” said Edward, “I get on amicably with Hermes and the Ebonies I’ve met. We are far from friends, but it’s far better than I could have hoped for. But there is one Ebony in particular that is going to be problematic for us.”_

__

__

_“Because they’ve threatened you?” cried Malcolm._

__

__

_“Relax, Malcolm. Nobody has been harmed, in fact rather the opposite. I have rather foolishly fallen in love with an Ebony woman.” Malcolm was stunned and looked at the king wide-eyed, causing Edward to turn away to hide his blush._

__

_  
“That is certainly surprising news,” Malcolm finally said._

__

__

_“I know, she’s an Ebony and I shouldn’t have-”_

__

__

_“I thought you were homosexual.” This time, it was Edward’s turn to be silent._

__

__

_“What?”_

__

_  
“You had never shown any interest in any Ivory women, even when you were a teenager. I had assumed therefore that you were otherwise inclined. Forgive my assumption.” Edward began to giggle, and Malcolm soon joined in as they burst into fits of loud laughter._

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_“I suppose you are right,” Edward said, wiping tears from his eyes, “but father always wanted me to marry a rich, stuck-up woman with more curves than brains. This girl is different.”_

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_“I am glad that I don’t have to have an awkward conversation about you being Leonis’ first ever homosexual monarch,” admitted Malcolm, “but you wanting to be the first monarch of Leonis to fall in love with an Ebony… that’s a tricky one. So, what is this girl like?”_

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_“She’s the daughter of the leader of the Ebonies.”_

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_“…You really don’t make life easy for yourself, do you?”_

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_“That would be boring.”_

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_\---_

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_The next evening, Edward once again snuck out of the Ivory Palace and headed to Hermes’ home in the Ebony District. Immediately, he noticed something was different and his stance became stiff and defensive as he reached the outer perimeter of the Ebony District – normally his archer follower would be there to greet him, but no one was there. Disconcerted, Edward began to run towards Hermes’ house in the hope that everything easy okay._

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_But then he saw the smoke._

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_A column of ash-grey fumes was billowing from Hermes’ home, as amber and golden flames danced around the property. Upon seeing the horrifying display, Edward darted as fast as he could in the direction of Hermes’ home, ignoring the burning pain in his lunges. As he rounded a nearby corner, Edward’s breath caught in his throat. The ground was littered with the bodies of the Ebony archers, their blood illuminated by the roaring fire. Around them were the royal guards who had accompanied Edward on his first visit to the Ebony District, standing with their weapons aimed at the lifeless Ebonies, as if challenging the corpses to move again. When Edward look at his guards’ faces, he saw nothing, just blank, uncaring expressions. When the guards saw him, they quickly came to their senses and looked at him in shock._

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_“Your Highness? What are you doing here?”_

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_“What am I doing here? How about I ask the questions around here, soldier? What are you doing? What have you DONE?” Edward screamed directly at the soldier’s face._

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_“We were told you’d been brainwashed by the Ebonies, Your Highness. We were instructed to come to this house and find you.”_

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_“But that doesn’t explain why there are bodies everywhere.”_

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_“We were ordered to shoot anyone who may be a threat to you, Your Highness…”_

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_“WHO ORDERED YOU?”_

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_“Your father, Your Highness.” Edward felt his heart shatter. _Father ordered this? But why?_ Edward shook his head – he didn’t have time to ask questions. He needed to act._

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_“Soldier, you listen to me now. I want ambulances, firemen, anyone who can help to come here right now before this fire engulfs the whole Ebony District.”_

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_“But Your Highness, we don’t-” Edward shoved the guard so hard he fell to the ground._

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_“SILENCE!” Edward screamed. “You will follow my orders – officially, I am still your king and you will do as I command. Get these people some help now!”_

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_“Yes, Your Highness! Right away!” The guard scrambled to his feet and scarpered, spouting hasty orders to his men._

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_“Edward!” The king’s gaze followed the direction of the voice and saw Malcolm on the back of a royal steed, a look of panic and astonishment on his face as he processed the flaming sight before him._

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_“Malcolm, thank goodness you’ve come! These poor people, father ordered my men to kill them under the ruse-”_

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_“I know what happened. One of the guards at the palace let slip and I beat the details out of him before rushing over!” Malcolm dismounted and told the soldiers to use his horse to transport the bodies to a safer location. Edward turned to the blaze._

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_“Why would my father do this?”_

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_“He knows about Penelope. I’ve never seen him so angry, Edward. It was the first time I’ve ever been scared of him.” Malcolm’s words fell on deaf ears as Edward remembered why he had come to the Ebony District in the first place._

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_“Penelope! She’s still inside!” He made for the burning building, but Malcolm grabbed his arm._

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_“What are you thinking, you’ll die if you go in there!”_

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_“She might still be alive! I have to see her for myself, Malcolm!” Edward overpowered Malcolm’s hold and darted inside the building._

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_“Edward! Fuck!” Malcolm screeched, grabbing his hair with his hands. He shouted at some nearby soldiers who had watched their king go into the building. “Don’t just stand there, you idiots. Our king is in danger, help me put out this godforsaken fire! Now!”_

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__

_Inside, Edward immediately choked on the ashes floating throughout the room. What was once a dark, dingy room was now an illuminated ruin of its former self. Rubble fell from the ceiling and the walls with a crack and flames threatened to lick at Edward’s skin. He shielded his eyes from the intense burning and held his breath as long as he could while he kicked his way through to the room where he met with Hermes._

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_“Hermes! Penelope!” he called out, but there was no response. Once he made it through the passageway, another horror was waiting for him. There, sat in his chair as he always had been when Edward visited, was the leader of the Ebony District. Dead. He had been shot very clearly through the forehead; a small river of dried blood flowed down the man’s face and neck, and his large body slumped in his chair. Edward bowed his head in a silent apology and cursed his father for ordering the massacre, but he could not stay wallowing in misery. He had to find Penelope. With one last, distressing glance at Hermes’ body, Edward fled to another part of the house. He did not see the piano in the corner, which was slowly falling apart as it too became a victim to the fire._

__

__

_Edward had never been to other parts of Hermes’ home, so all the ground he was covering was unfamiliar territory. He found a staircase, half-demolished, and cautiously climbed it, the floorboards threatening to crack under his weight with each step. He jumped onto the landing and scoured the nearest room, but there was no trace of his girlfriend._

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_“Penelope! Where are you? Answer me!” he croaked, his voice becoming raspy as he slowly ran out of oxygen. He went from room to room but found nothing. He went to what seemed like Penelope’s bedroom, where he glanced around frantically. He was on the brink of giving up all hope when he heard something amid the crumbling and cracking._

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__

_“…Ed…ward… -elp me…” Edward looked down to see a small, dark hand moving slightly from underneath a pile of wooden beams and rubble. _It has to be Penelope_, he thought._

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_“Penelope!” Edward screamed, and he knelt down, desperately clawing and throwing away the debris of the house. Eventually, more and more of his Penelope were revealed. She was covered in cuts and bruises all over her body, and Edward was horrified to see a bullet wound on her shoulder. Fortunately, it had only grazed her, but it was enough to concern him greatly._

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_“You’re… here…” she rasped, “I knew… you would come…”_

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_“Don’t talk, Penelope, you need to save your energy,” Edward whispered, caressing her cheek with the back of dirtied fingers. “You’re going to be okay; your Edward is here.”_

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_“That’s good…” she managed to say before her head tilted back.  
  
_

__

_“No! Penelope, stay with me!” He checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief – she had lost consciousness. He moved the remaining debris from her body and carefully lifted her over his shoulder. His muscles burned in agony at all the strain he had been putting himself through, but the adrenaline was pumping furiously throughout his body and he marched as fast as he could back downstairs, kicking aside any new debris that had fallen in his path. After what seemed like hours of traversing the burning house, Edward launched himself and Penelope through the front door and onto the streets of the Ebony District, the cold evening air blasting him like an ocean wave. In the commotion, he heard shouts. People were yelling, sirens were wailing, and women were screaming. He tried to look around, but the smoke had made his eyes water so much that all he could make out were silhouettes of mortified onlookers as they watched Hermes’ home become completely swallowed in twirling tongues of yellow and orange._

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__

_“Somebody help me with these two!” Edward heard Malcolm’s voice, barking instructions left and right. He suddenly felt a slap on his face and somebody grabbed his shoulders. “Edward, look at me. Look at me, my friend, you’re alive. But I need you to focus.” Edward blinked a few times and looked up from the ground to see his best friend’s anxious expression – he immediately noticed how tired his friend looked._

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_“Malcolm, where’s Penelope?”_

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_“She’s safe, you saved her! You saved her, Edward! But she needs urgent medical attention; these wonderful Ebony women have offered to care for the injured, so we’re taking Penelope to a safehouse now. You can come with me, but I need you get a hold of yourself.”_

__

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_“Right, right,” Edward said slowly, still not fully processing everything. His head hurt a lot and an uncomfortable ringing sounded in his ears and wouldn’t go away. He allowed himself to be picked up from the ground, and Malcolm quickly brushed him down before grabbing him by the arm and leading him away at a sprint. Edward wanted to tell him to slow down, but he didn’t even have the energy to protest, so he just let himself be taken to a different building, but he couldn’t say where. All around him, Ebony men and women were rushing around him, carrying warm towels, bandages and bottles of medicine, tending to the archers who may have survived the onslaught. There were, at a guess, thirty or forty makeshift beds set up around the building, all filled with the still bodies of the injured, unconscious and in some cases recently deceased. Edward couldn’t help but watch as one Ebony gentleman, who he assumed was one of the doctors, carefully lowered a white sheet over one of the occupants of the bed, a tearful look on his face as he did so._

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_“That was one of the archers that we met when we first came here,” Malcolm said, noticing where the king was looking._

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_“So much death…”_

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_“Come one, Edward, let’s not stare. Penelope is just over here.” The mention of his lover’s name quickly snapped Edward’s focus back to Malcolm, who had hurriedly moved over to a nearby bed, which was being see to by four nurses at once. Careful not to intrude on their work, but also anxious to see Penelope’s face, Edward briskly followed and nervously stood in wait as the nurses ferreted around the bed, murmuring technical medical language to one another that Edward didn’t quite understand. After about another hour, the nurses were finished, and they moved onto the next patient without giving Edward time to express his thanks. One nurse remained behind and addressed both men._

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_“Which one of you is the king?”_

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_“I am,” Edward stepped forward. The matron looked him up and down with a frown, but then she smiled sadly._

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_“You saved this girl’s life. The damage will take some time to heal, but she’ll recover. But, if I may ask, why did you save her? Why risk your own life for one Ebony girl?” Edward walked over to the side of the bed and gently stroked Penelope’s cheek with his fingers._

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_“She’s not just any girl to me,” he said simply. The nurse nodded, deeming that answer sufficient for both her and Edward. Leaving him be, she bowed to Malcolm, who returned the gesture._

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_“We won’t forget this day,” she said to him, “for a long time, we will remember what your king did. An Ivory king risking his life for the Ebony girl he loves… I never thought I would see the day.”_

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_“Nor did I,” admitted Malcolm. He looked over at Edward, who had begun to cry as he continued to stroke Penelope’s cheek. “He truly is a one-of-a-kind monarch. When he first told me that he would change Leonis, I doubted him. But after the courage and compassion he’s shown us, I finally believe he might actually do it.”_

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_“We can only hope,” agreed the nurse, “and if there’s one thing that can keep a human alive, it’s hope.” She excused herself and joined her colleagues in attending to another victim of the attack. Malcolm walked over to Edward’s side and placed his hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Edward didn’t look at him, but Malcolm knew he was listening._

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_“I can’t go back to the Ivory Palace, can I?” asked Edward. Malcolm shook his head._

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_“Your father is likely waiting for you there, and he will probably kill us both. Or at least have us arrested for treason.”_

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_“Where do we go?” Malcolm reached into his pocket, fished out an envelope and held it out to Edward. “What’s this?”_

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_“Your way out. I received this shortly after you were crowned, but I was told not to give it to you unless you were ever in dire need of an escape. I do not know what it contains, but perhaps this is what you need.” Edward examined the envelope, taking it from Malcom’s grasp. He quickly broke the seal and opened the letter to reveal a surprising letter._

__

__

__

Dear Edward Lionheart, Interim King of Leonis, 

__

You are cordially offered a place in the 100th class of Seiko Academy as the Ultimate Monarch. Whispers of the changes you’re making to your country has reached us at the academy through a reliable source. Such changes are bound to be met with great resilience, but we at Seiko Academy believe your legacy deserves to be preserved, as does your life. This letter is more than invitation; it is also an escape route for you in case times in your country become too tough to bear. 

__

Of course, complete discretion is promised. Should you attend our prestigious academy, it will be under the lie that you are spending some time as regular high school student, and not because your country is on the brink of war. You will also be well-protected; your father’s iron fist will not even dent our walls. 

__

There is no need to reply to this letter, we will know your response on the first day of class. 

__

Kindest regards from the staff at Seiko Academy, 

__

Kinji Ishotaru, Ultimate Administrator and Headmaster of Seiko Academy 

__

_Edward read the letter several times over, dozens of questions springing to his mind. How did this academy seem to know about the Ebony District? Why were they offering to help him? Who is this Kinji Ishotaru? Of course, Edward knew about Seiko Academy; its reputation as an elitist educational institute was well-known in his country, and he would guess it was known worldwide too._

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_“They want me to go to Seiko Academy,” was all Edward said._

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_“Seiko Academy? That letter is from Seiko Academy?” asked Malcolm incredulously._

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_“Here, read it for yourself,” Edward offered, practically thrusting the letter into his friend’s hands. Like Edward, Malcolm read the letter once, then read it multiple times, a concerned expression on his face._

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_“I was right, then,” he finally said, “this is your way out. So, when are you going?”_

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_“What do you mean? I can’t go!”_

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_“Why not?” Malcolm asked with a shrug._

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_“I can’t leave her here!” Edward exclaimed._

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_“You have to.” Edward and Malcolm looked over at Penelope in shock. She had woken up and overheard the friends’ conversation._

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_“Penelope! You’re awake! How are you, my love? Are you okay? Does anything hurt, do you need-” Edward asked frantically, bombarding her with question after question. She weakly placed her hands over his._

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_“I’m okay, I’ll be safe. But you are not safe here, my king,” she whispered._

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_“I can’t leave you! I won’t!”_

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_“You don’t have a choice, Edward,” she told him. “Whether you like it or not, Leonis will now fully be at war. And you will be caught in the crossfire.”_

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_“She’s right, Edward,” said Malcolm, “you’re stuck in the middle of a conflict, neither side of which you can pledge an allegiance to. You will only be destroyed in the ensuing battle.”_

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_“But I can’t abandon my country when it needs me most,” Edward continued to protest._

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_“Your country needs you _alive_,” retorted Malcolm, “if you fight, you will die. If you wait until the war is over, you can help us heal as one. You are our symbol of hope now, both for the Ivories and Ebonies. Only you can unite us.”_

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__

_“You must be patient, my king,” Penelope whispered. Edward felt tears sting his eyes and he kissed Penelope’s hands._

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_“If I go,” he said, “will you wait for me? Both of you?”_

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_“Of course,” said Malcolm, “you are not only my king, but my dearest friend.”_

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_“I will wait for you, Edward,” answered Penelope, squeezing Edward’s hands, “until the end of time, I would wait for you. Go into hiding, stay safe, and come back. My heart will be waiting to reunite with yours.”_

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_“Malcolm, would you please give Penelope and I some time together?”_

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_“Of course, Edward. It would seem I have an army to amass. Let me know when you’re ready.” Malcolm left with a sad smile on his face._

__

_  
“What’s on your mind, my king?” Penelope asked._

__

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_“This is all happening so fast,” Edward sobbed, “all of this is so unfair. All my life, I have been hit with trial and tribulation. Sometimes I wish I had never been born; this pain is so unbearable.” Penelope stoked his hand._

__

__

_“I’m happy you’re alive,” she said. Edward looked at her. “You are an amazing man, Edward, and I am so lucky that you came to my home that day. I tried so hard not to fall for you, but you’re an easy man to fall for.” Edward let out a small laugh._

__

__

_“I love you.” It was the first time he had said those words, and he put a hand to his mouth, as though not expecting them at all. Penelope giggled._

__

__

_“I love you too, Edward,” she said, and she moved her head slightly. It was a small gesture, but Edward knew what it meant, and he leant forward to kiss her. It was a soft kiss, marred slightly by the fact that their lips were still dried and dirtied from their escape from the fire, but they told each other so much in that kiss that they would never know the words to describe. When they pulled away, Edward rested his forehead against hers, and he spoke softly._

__

__

_“I will go to Seiko Academy,” he finally conceded. “I’ll go, but I’m not happy about it.”_

__

_  
“Nor am I, darling,” said Penelope weakly, “but knowing that you’re safe in another country is better than knowing that you could die any day while staying in Leonis.”_

__

__

_“I know, but this is so hard,” said Edward, “I don’t know if I’m going to be strong enough.”_

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_“You can do it,” encouraged Penelope, yawning._

__

__

_“Even when you’re tired, you’re beautiful,” he chuckled, “but you should rest, my dear.”_

__

__

_“So, is this farewell?” she asked, tears falling down her face. Edward smiled, fighting back his own tears._

__

__

_“Yes, Penelope. I think when you wake up, I will be gone. But you’re going to wait for me, and that will be good enough for me.”_

__

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_“Will you stay by my side until I fall asleep, at the very least?”_

__

__

_“I was already planning on doing that,” he replied, kissing her forehead. Penelope hummed happily and closed her eyes. It did not take long for her to succumb to fatigue, and soon Edward could hear faint snores coming from her. He then stood up, letting go of her hands. Casting one final, sombre glance at his love, Edward Lionheart began his departure from Leonis. His hands were cold._

__


	21. The King, The Thief and The Traitor

With a shaky breath, Edward concluded the story of his country. I had not realised it, but at some point, I had begun to cry as he relived the memories of his time in Leonis, of the struggles he had faced simply to be allowed to fall in love with Penelope. I could not fathom how impossibly difficult it had been for Edward to keep to himself all those emotions, all that doubt and uncertainty on the fates of those who he cared about so deeply, and I almost found myself sympathising with Edward for what he had done. But even after all that hardship, Edward had still murdered an innocent girl, and I did not know that I could find within myself the justification of Edward’s actions. Around the room, everyone else wore similar expressions of astonishment.

“Good grief, that story was _so _boring!” screeched Monomenon dramatically, breaking the tense atmosphere with his absurd comment.

“Oh, shut up,” demanded Iowa, whose tear-streaked face had become red.

“Edward, you really went through all that before coming here?” Miyagawa asked him in disbelief. The monarch nodded.

“Yes, I did. In fact, I left Leonis just a few weeks ago.” I could not believe my ears. _To think, _I thought, _that such a war was going on in Leonis, and the outside world has no idea. _Unexpectedly, there was a cough, and I looked over at Morihei, who looked unsure about whether or not she should be opening her mouth to say something.

“If I may raise an objection,” she said, raising her hand, “I’m a little confused by the story you’ve just told, Edward.”

“Confused?” asked Edward.

“Come on, Morihei, is this really the time?” Saza asked. Morihei bristled.

“Have you all already forgotten why we’re even this situation? Edward murdered Uehara. While I have no doubt that the story he just told is genuine fact, and it is a horrible story, I think we can reserve the right to question him.”

“But-”

“It’s fine, Saza,” said Edward with a wave of his hand, “I cannot afford to have regrets now. I am about to die, after all.”

“How are you so calm about that?” responded Tokunaga, but Edward ignored the question with a sad smile. He signalled for Morihei to ask her question.

“When we came to Seiko Academy, you told us that it was to be a regular student before becoming king. Now, I understand that it was because you were really in hiding from your father – why did you try to escape? If you were supposed to wait before returning to Leonis, for what sake did you murder Uehara?”

“When it was announced that we were to participate in a game that required us to murder each other, the notion that I had come here to live a normal life was soon gone from my mind. Then, Monoworth gave us those motivational videos,” Edward replied simply, his gaze fixated downwards. “What I saw… was my worst nightmare. My video showed Penelope, but she had met the same fate that I imagine everyone else’s loved ones had met in their videos. She was on fire, screaming my name in pain as she writhed there, unable to put out the flames. The video broke me, and I knew that I had to escape to verify whether what I had witnessed was real. I could not spend another moment in this hellhole while my Penelope, Malcolm and my kingdom could be destroyed. I had to weigh the lives of the remaining students in this academy against the security of my country. If the mastermind behind this game has managed to get a hold of Penelope and Malcolm, then I told myself that I had to return to Leonis, whatever the cost.”

“So, you murdered Uehara to escape and save your country,” surmised Morino, “that must have been… hard for you.” I was surprised that Morino was showing empathy towards the culprit, but Edward had had a point. Why should our lives be held in any higher regard to the citizens of his country? Obviously, I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t believe my life had any more meaning or significance than the ensured safety of the entirety of Leonis, both Ebony and Ivory.

“But why Uehara?” sniffled Mina, who was still struggling to control the flow of tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why did you kill my best friend?” Edward exhaled loudly and looked at Mina, a look of unquestionable regret on his face.

“I suppose I should clear up what actually happened; I at least owe you all the truth,” he began solemnly. “The truth is: Uehara was never the intended victim of my crime.” There were a few gasps, and Mina spluttered in shock. _He had not wanted to kill Uehara, but somebody else?_

“If not Uehara, then who?” Yoneda questioned.

“Ori.” I froze. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out, and I felt like the floor had opened up beneath me and that I was falling, swallowed by an unknown feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Your intention was to murder Ori?” cried Miyagawa crossly, his fists clenched.

“Yes, I had planned to kill her, then pin the crime on either Mina or Uehara,” Edward explained, “but then I encountered Uehara as I was moving to the second floor to set up my crime. She explained she was on her way to meet Mina, and I offered to go with her, but I just wanted to go there to set up my crime.”

“And you saw an opportunity to murder Uehara instead and frame Mina?” suggested Morino.

“No.” Morino raised an eyebrow, surprised his assumption was incorrect. “I still sought to murder Ori.” I could not respond, my mind was still reeling from the shock of two realisations: that my talent had simultaneously stopped me from becoming the victim of a murder plot, but the cost of that was the loss of Uehara.

“But why did you want to kill her so badly?” Miyagawa demanded to know, gritting his teeth.

“Rather than say that I wanted to kill Ori”, Edward corrected, “I chose her because of the class trial.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nishi.

“Her talent was the biggest threat to me getting away with my crime. The trial of Hatanaka and Sanda made me aware that if I were to end up killing someone, the danger her talent as the Ultimate Extreme Lucky Student posed had to be eliminated from the equation. So, I resolved that she would have to be my victim. I believed that I could handle and misguide the combined intellect of Morino, Morihei, Tokunaga and Yoneda, whom I believe to be the most astute crime-solvers among us, but I didn’t want to risk factoring in Ori’s talent.”

“So, does that mean you intentionally offered to search the music hall with Mitsumi and I because you wanted to stop us from discovering the sack you used?” asked Nishi. Edward nodded.

“I figured that the sack would be the most damning piece of evidence,” he responded, “so I pretended to search for evidence, when in fact I was making sure nobody discovered that I’d hidden it in the piano. But then Miyagawa asked me to search the storeroom with him, and I couldn’t refuse because that would cast suspicion on me. Then, later when Ori revealed she had found the sack in the music hall, I knew my chances of getting away with my crime had lowered significantly. I had to rely on my haphazard actions to confuse you all to the point that you ended on a false conclusion, but it was ultimately a fruitless endeavour.”

“So, you planned on killing me,” I finally said, having overcome the shock that had taken hold of my body, “so why did Uehara…?”

“When I saw Uehara on the ground floor, she was visibly upset. I approached her and asked her if everything was okay,” Edward began to tell us. “She told me that her motive video had really gotten to her, but she was going to be okay because Mina was looking after her and Mina always knew how to cheer her up.”

“Uehara…” Mina whispered, crestfallen.

“She then told me that she was going to the second floor to see Mina, but she was early. I asked her if she wanted to go the library to read about videogames, as I understood very little about them. This seemed to make her happy, and I would also benefit from the interaction; I would have had an alibi for last night. Furthermore, Mina and Uehara would not have posed any threat to solving my crime, especially since I had planned on framing either of them.

“When we got there, Uehara started going through the shelves, looking for books on videogames. While she was perusing, the topic of the murder motive that the bears gave us came up in discussion again. In an attempt to calm her down, I told her that I had seen Penelope’s corpse. Then she told me what was in hers, and I could not believe my ears.”

“What was in her motivational video?” Iowa asked, looking at Edward in apprehension.

“A… console. A fucking videogame console.” I was taken aback by Edward’s sudden use of vulgar language, but not as taken aback as I was at the revelation of Uehara’s motive.

“A-are you j-joking?” squeaked Mitsumi.

“Not at all. She even showed it to me, because I could not believe it. Her video was a short clip of a console being smashed to pieces. It brought Uehara to tears, and I snapped.”

“You… snapped?” Morihei questioned, frowning.

“How could a games console compare to my future queen and an entire country?” Edward shouted. “She had no right to be upset over that!” He exhaled deeply, and gripped his podium tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strength of the grip.

“Then what happened, Edward?” I asked quietly.

“I killed her,” he sobbed. “I don’t know what happened, but there was a numb feeling in my head. I just remember so much anger within me. I was angry that I was so helpless, that I had failed to protect Penelope, that I was trapped. That anger, pain and fear manifested itself into me putting my hands around Uehara’s neck and… I killed her.”

“That’s why Uehara died,” Morino realised, “she was killed unintentionally. You were enraged by what you believed was a vast difference in the importance of the victim in your motivational video compared to Uehara’s.”

“You said earlier that you had to weigh sacrificing the rest of us against the citizens of your country,” remembered Nishi, “I wonder if you perhaps did the same thing with the motivational video.”

“That’s likely an accurate summary,” conceded Edward.

“You’re an idiot!” Mina suddenly screamed.

“Mina?” Ouji said, surprised by the outburst.

“Edward, you’re an idiot! A stupid, ignorant idiot!”

“I know, I shouldn’t have killed her-”

“I’m not talking about that!”

“What?”

“Uehara’s motivational video…” Mina began slowly, “did you ever stop to consider why that console was the so-called victim in that video?”

“Well, she was the Ultimate RPG Player…” Yoneda started, but Mina raised her hand shut him up, and looked at Edward pointedly.

“Why were there no people in Uehara’s video?” she asked again, but Edward stammered, unable to think of an answer.

“Recall Morino’s video – there was nobody in that video, because no one is waiting for him in the outside world,” Mina explained, “did you ever think the same applied to Uehara?”

“The thought never crossed my mind…” Edward admitted hesitantly. Mina slammed her fist against her podium and began crying anew, this time in fury rather than heartbreak.

“You idiot! Uehara had nothing in the outside world! No friends, no family, nothing.”

“Mina, what are you talking about? Uehara never mentioned any of that…” Tokunaga said, but Mina interrupted him.

“Why would she? Nobody here was her friend, except for me! I was the only person she trusted in this academy. The rest of you thought she was weird and stupid and didn’t want anything to do with her! Uehara was just as broken as anyone else in this room, if not more so!”

“She’s right,” chimed in Monomenon gleefully, “you murdered a real cuckoo bitch there, Mister King!”

“You knew?” Edward asked the bear in shock.

“Oh yes, from the very beginning. Uehara’s story is just as sad as yours, Edward. In fact, why don’t I tell it to you all, since we’re all sharing stories? I would have asked Uehara to do it, but she’s got a huge fucking javelin stabbed in her vocal chords!” Monomenon cackled at his own words.

“What I think Monomenon is trying to say,” continued Monoworth, “is that from a very young age, Uehara Tsuru has been alone.”

“Alone?” I said.

“Her parents, for reasons unknown, abandoned her on the street one day and never came back for her,” explained Monomenon, “Uehara swiftly had to learn how to fend for herself. She taught herself how to survive by exploring the streets in the night, killing stray animals or stealing from shops to provide herself with food. You know, in some ways she was probably a lot more intelligent than you guys ever gave her credit for – isn’t that ironic?”

“But you’re saying Uehara was homeless from a very young age!” Miyagawa cried, as though he couldn’t believe that an Ultimate student had come from such a beginning.

“She was,” insisted Monomenon, “and she repulsed anyone who came across her in the street. She was dirty, mentally quite deficient and malnourished. Then, one day, she saw some kids playing on some game consoles in a café. When the group of kids exited the café, she followed one of them home and cornered them in an alley. She beat them up and demanded the child show her how to use the console, before stealing it from him and running away. Uehara became obsessed with that thing. She would play it for hours on end every day, and whenever it ran out of power, she would sneak into a building where she could charge it back to full power and continue to play. One videogame in particular, known as a role-playing game or RPG, caught her attention and she would soon play that game solely. But Uehara, even though she knew how to survive, was extraordinarily dumb! The distinctions between the real world and the world of her role-playing videogame began to fade away, and she began to believe that she was living in a role-playing world.

“Because of this, Uehara began to perceive things in the world differently to how they actually were. People’s homes were open invitations to ransack for any money, food or items she might want, animals were simply expendable sources of materials and people were actually characters who had ‘quests’ for her. But most dangerously, she perceived herself as superhuman. She believed she had magical abilities, multiple lives and that the rucksack she carried had no bottom. Rather obviously, what she thought were magical abilities was just in fact her high resilience, and her ‘bottomless rucksack’ was just a rucksack that had a hole in the bottom, so all the things she stole would fall out. It was also thanks to this videogame that she picked up her weird speech pattern: referring to herself in the third person.

“This starving, delirious and eccentric girl soon became known as “The Wandering Thief” in many towns, and people began to fight back against her petty thefts. She was mercilessly bullied for being an abandoned child, people threw stones at her if she got too close, while others would leave rotten or poisoned scraps of food on their doorsteps to try and incapacitate her, but to no avail. Then, some people soon recognised patterns in her behaviour and noticed that she was acting as though she were in a role-playing game. They sought to take advantage of this fact under the guise of ‘having a quest’ for Uehara. One thing that Uehara loved to do was embark on ‘quests’ for people, so these people told her that they would have a ‘quest’ for her, allowing them to get away with doing terrible things to her. They would beat her, ask her to touch them, ask her to let them touch her, ask her to take clothes off – someone even went so far as to-”

“Enough!” bellowed Edward. “I’ve heard enough…” Even though Edward had shouted, I almost hadn’t heard him. Hearing Monomenon retell the story of Uehara’s life had dumbfounded me, sending me into a breathless silence. A small, painful buzzing sounded in my head, and I felt like I was going to vomit at any second. So many of my classmates had been through such hardships, and I realised just how little I knew about them all. I began to doubt myself – could I really call any of them my friend?

“You don’t want me to finish the story?” whined Monomenon. “But I was getting to good part – I love a good romance scene between a young girl and-”

“I said enough!” Edward bellowed, finally snapping me out of my reverie.

“So, you realise now who exactly you killed,” Monomenon sneered.

“Your assumptions about Uehara were completely incorrect,” added Monoworth, “and now you face execution yourself.”

“Yes,” said Edward, “my treatment of Uehara makes me no different to my father and how he treated the Ebonies of Leonis. It would seem I have made an inexcusable mistake. I am… so sorry, everyone. It is a huge ask, but I plead your forgiveness for putting you all through such a regrettable ordeal.”

“How can you expect us to forgive you?” Mina asked incredulously.

“I don’t, truthfully. Especially you, Mina. I took away your friend. I took away everyone’s friend, and now I am ready to pay the price.” Mina was quiet for a short while before speaking again.

“I’ll still fight the mastermind,” she said, “but I’m going to fight them for Uehara, _not _for you.” Edward merely nodded and smiled in response.

“Uehara was very lucky to have a friend like you, Mina,” Edward then turned to the bears, perched on their thrones in anticipation for the finale of the class trial. “Monomenon – I’m ready.”

“Hold on, Your Highness,” interrupted Monoworth, “we still have procedure to follow!”

“Ah, yes. The vote.”

“Correct! Now, students, please look down at your Seiko-pads and decide who the guilty party is. Although, I must admit it does seem a pointless endeavour given how the murderer already admitted to their crime.” The screens on our Seiko-pads illuminated and I looked down – the sixteen panels with our names on had returned, and I slowly pressed the one bearing ‘Edward Lionheart.’ I noticed as well that the panels for Sanda, Hatanaka and Uehara were red and had a large red cross over them – another anguishing reminder of who we had already lost to the brutality of our new life at Seiko Academy.

\---

“Congratulations, students! You once again voted correctly. The one responsible for the murder of Uehara Tsuru, the Ultimate RPG Player was none other than Edward Lionheart, the Ultimate Monarch and crown prince of the kingdom of Leonis!” Only the bears celebrated. How could we celebrate our correct vote? Edward was about to receive his ‘punishment’ and that meant his life would come to an end. What would happen to Leonis now that their future monarch had been sentenced to death by thirteen teenagers in a secretive game of murder?

“Yay! I get to execute a king! That hasn’t been done in decades!” Monomenon cheered. “I have prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Monarch, Edward Lionheart!” Just as it had happened at the conclusion to Sanda and Hatanaka’s trial, Monoworth and Monomenon descended from their thrones to reveal the door to the execution chamber behind them. Edward, seemingly unperturbed by the knowledge of what awaited him on the other side of that door, confidently strode over to it without looking at us. I felt my heart begin to race as a nauseous and terrifying feeling reverberated through my whole body.

“Thank you, everyone,” the king said, his back still turned to us. “Our time together was fleeting, but ironically it did give me some semblance of what it was like to be… well, normal. I will die with the hope that the rest of you survive, and when you do, find my Penelope and tell her what happened. The world needs to know about Seiko Academy, and it needs to stop.”

“Goodbye, Edward,” I whispered to myself, but something told me Edward had heard me as he swiftly walked through the doors to his death. The doors closed behind him, and that was the last time we ever saw Edward Lionheart in person. Monoworth said something, but I didn’t hear him as I watched the screen from the first trial descend from the ceiling.

“You’re going to make us watch again?” Iowa squeaked.

“Of course,” said Monoworth, his tone suggesting he thought it was obvious to show someone’s execution, “I am first and foremost your educator, and you students must be educated. As I said in the last class trial, you all need to learn true despair – so allow me to teach you.” He gestured a paw towards the screen, and we all looked up to see Edward, who had been prepared for his execution.

Bound in chains, Edward’s head and hands were lodged in a pillory, stood on top of a round platform a few feet off the ground. A single, yellow spotlight shone down upon the Ultimate Monarch. Visible beads of sweat had formed on his forehead as he waited in silence, his breathing the only audible sound in the room. Suddenly, the platform began to spin slowly and a whole crowd of robot bears, identical to Monomenon emerged from the shadows; their synchronised giggling echoed awfully in my ears. As the platform span, the bears started to throw various objects at the king: fruits, vegetables, even small stones and pieces of debris. The torrent of items left a rainbow of marks; the juices from the fruit, dirt and his own blood mixed as rocks cut and scraped his arms, legs and face. Edward, for his part, did not even cry out when he was hurt – he simply kept his eyes tightly closed as the platform span at a greater speed. After a few minutes of the spinning, the beating from the Monomenon clones and the eery silence, Edward suddenly lurched and threw up, a grey spray spewing from his mouth. The Monomenon clones stopped giggling and dispersed, slinking back to the shadows from whence they came, leaving Edward alone as he continued to vomit. The platform slowed to a halt, facing the camera we were watching the spectacle from. Edward stopped being sick but continued to splutter and cough, a trickle of grey hanging off his chin. I held my breath, terrified of what would happen next. Suddenly, there was a small thud that sounded throughout the chamber. Edward gasped loudly, his eyes going wide. Then it happened. As if in slow motion, Edward’s hands and head fell to the ground, detached from his body. I screamed. Blood gushed from the severed parts of Edward’s body, mixing with the grey of his vomit, and his head bounced a couple of times before falling off the platform completely. The pillory had been hiding guillotine-like blades within them, and those blades now replaced the holes where Edward used to be. His body, now decapitated, spasmed for a few moments before slumping to the ground itself, an uncontrollable flow of blood spilling around it. Edward Lionheart was dead. The Monomenon clones returned, but this time their giggling seemed even louder than before.

Nobody could speak. I felt sick, unable to look away from the gruesome sight on the screen. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the screen turned off and rose back towards the ceiling and Monomenon returned to the trial hall.

“Wow! Wasn’t that extreme, everyone? Although, a true waste of vegetables if you ask me – did you know that humans waste just as much produce as they consume-”

“Shut up!” roared Miyagawa, making everyone in the room jump.

“Oh my,” swooned Monomenon mockingly, “you’re so authoritative Miyagawa – now I know why Ori is attracted to you.”

“I told you to shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Miyagawa continued to shout, tears falling from his face as he did so. I didn’t try to stop him, nobody did. We were all so exhausted, so empty, so disturbed that it was too much to try and react to what had happened. Next to me, I heard Mina whimpering Uehara’s name to herself, and I reached over to embrace her just as I had done during Hatanaka’s execution.

“Well, it’s not my fault Edward couldn’t break free of his attachments to the outside world,” said Monomenon matter-of-factly. “He came to this academy knowing that he had to remain hidden, but as soon as we told him Penelope was dead, he decided that someone in the group had to die for the sake of finding out whether or not his Motive Day video was correct.”

“Was it real?” the question came from Morino, who had an unreadable expression; somewhere between irritation and disbelief.

“Who can say…?” said Monomenon mischievously.

“You don’t mean… our videos could be fake?” asked Yoneda. “Edward could have killed for no reason?”

“Who can say…?”

“Don’t play games with us,” demanded Nishi.

“Have you forgotten where you are?” Monoworth replied, his tone becoming uncharacteristically menacing. “You’re in _my _killing game, therefore you play by _my _rules. It is inconsequential if the videos are real or fake, their purpose is to motivate you to kill each other, and my plan worked again. You can’t stop the killing game – humans are too set on returning to their past lives because they refuse to climatize to one that has been handed to them. More of you are going to die, and I’ll make sure it happens.”

“Then why don’t you kill us all then, rather than forcing us to kill each other?” challenged Morino.

“Because we’re not allowed to interfere in the crimes themselves.”

“N-not allowed?” Mitsumi squealed in surprise.

“That’s right,” affirmed Monomenon, “Monoworth and I do not and will not alter the scenes of the crimes or involve ourselves directly in the crimes – we just facilitate the game and its participants.”

“How can we be sure of that though?” Morihei persisted, not satisfied with the bears’ answers.

“I can’t believe my students would doubt me, their precious Monomenon,” wailed the bear in fake offense. “Very well, I’ll add the rule to your Seiko-pads. There!” All of our Seiko-pads flashed, and the rules section came up to show a new addition:

  1. _ Headmaster Monoworth and Monomenon are not permitted to involve themselves in any way with murders that are committed within the walls of Seiko Academy._

“You’re really not going to interfere?” I asked sceptically.

“But how can we be sure you didn’t interfere with the last two murders?” added Tokunaga.

“Well, the culprits in those two cases both admitted to their crimes, remember? So even if we did alter anything, which we didn’t, it wouldn’t have affected the outcome of those trials,” stated Monoworth.

“Now then, kiddies,” yelled Monomenon, “that concludes the second trial. We bears have to hibernate now until we get bored of waiting for you to kill each other.”

“And don’t forget,” reminded Monoworth, “that another floor to the school will be available to you tomorrow as a reward for completing the trial successfully!” With that, the bears waddled through the doors to the execution chamber and disappeared, leaving the rest of us in silence.

“Fuck!” Miyagawa shouted in frustration, banging his fists against his podium.

“We really just killed a king…” Ouji whispered breathlessly, “we killed a king.”

“What do we do? I want this to stop,” cried Iowa desperately.

“Then will we have to live here forever?” asked Yoneda. I shook my head.

“No, I don’t think they’ll let that happen. The mastermind will get bored again and try to make us kill each other and they won’t stop until they get what they want.”

“Edward should have known better than to give in to that stupid motivational video,” Miyagawa said through gritted teeth.

“But do you blame him for what happened?” asked Tokunaga. We all looked at him, puzzled by his question.

“What do you mean? Of course I blame him; he killed Uehara!” Mina screeched.

“I do not know exactly how to explain,” began Tokunaga, “but we think the same about Edward that Edward think about Uehara. We had an opportunity to save Leonis, but we did not take it. Even though we know that Edward killed Uehara, was it really the best decision to sacrifice him? I am not sure, because now who can save Leonis? We eliminated only possible man who can do that, so I think we are no better than Edward. He valued his nation above us, but we valued our individual lives over the nation of Leonis. Plus, we find out during trial that we did not know Edward very well because he hide truth about his family, his country and his reason for coming here, and we did not know Uehara very well either. So, I think we are all responsible for what has happened today – no one can escape blame.” Nobody had an answer for Tokunaga. Despite all my anger and confusion, what the opera singer was saying did ring true. Was it really okay to choose ourselves over an entire country? What will happen to Leonis now that it’s last hope was just executed by his supposed friends? This though plagued me as we slowly, wordlessly left the trial hall and returned to the first floor of the academy.

\---

When we arrived, we all went our separate ways. Ouji asked to speak with Miyagawa. As I turned to walk towards my own room, I was stopped by Yoneda.

“Hey, Ori, do you mind if we talk for a few moments?” I was so exhausted, I really wanted to decline his offer, but the way his beady blue-green eyes fiercely stared at me made me accept. He led me to the cafeteria, and we sat across from one another.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Well, since the aftermath of that class trial,” he whispered, “I’ve been thinking about the operational side of the killing game.” My ears perked up.

“You mean you’ve figured something out?” I exclaimed, but he hushed me and shook his head.

“No, not exactly. I mainly have theories right now, but I’ve noticed that there are some inconsistencies with what we’ve been told since coming here.”

“Like what?”

“Well, first of all,” Yoneda began, “there’s the issue of our parents sending us here willingly. Both Morino and Uehara were confirmed to not have parents in that class trial, right? But when we arrived here, the bears told us that our parents agreed to us attending. Now, I don’t think that’s true.” I had to agree with Yoneda; I also knew that Miyagawa’s parents were no longer around, so at least three out of the sixteen students were orphaned, making the bears’ statement defunct.

“What do you think this means then? Do you think our parents our involved?” Yoneda’s expression changed and he looked down.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “I don’t want to believe that those of us with parents were sent here willingly, but I can’t rule out that possibility. Anyway, there’s something else I want to talk to you about – it’s regarding the Blades of Despair.” I had almost forgotten about our discovery in the library from after the first trial.

“The Blades of Despair? What about them?”

“I’ve been trying to figure out who they could be,” Yoneda muttered, “and for the most part I am drawing a blank, but one theory I’ve had is really concerning.”

“What are you talking about?” Yoneda gulped, but then fixed a steely gaze at me through his glasses, and I felt a chill.

“I think it’s possible one of us is a member of the Blades of Despair.”

“No… that can’t be true? A traitor? One of use?”

“I know, it’s a far-fetched theory, but I think it’s still conceivable.”

“How?”

“Remember when we found the Tetralogy of Despair in the library? It said that past survivors would become Blades of Despair after winning the game. But think about it – how would the current Blades of Despair know who was going to win? And how would they know that the winner would transition over to the Blades of Despair after winning? My guess is that the winner is already determined, and the only way it could be guaranteed is if the winner is already working with the Blades of Despair.”

“Meaning that one of us is working with them…” I concluded; my brain was barely able to process the concept. One of us could be working against us, betraying us every step of the way. But why would they agree to this? “But I don’t understand – if you believe one of us could be deceiving the rest of us, why are you telling me? Do you not think I could be the traitor among the group?”

“I did consider that, but I figured it would make no difference if you were the traitor or not. There are surveillance cameras all over the academy, so if you were a traitor, you’d already be privy to this conversation. But for now, I think I we should keep what we’ve discussed to ourselves. Everyone else is already probably filled with doubts and questions and I don’t want the situation to get any worse.” I agreed and we both exited the cafeteria and returned to our dormitories. As I threw myself onto my bed, I evaded sleep by worrying over the killing game. Four students were now dead; we had lost a quarter of our group already.

_How many more were we bound to lose?_

_Would I be one of them?_

As my worries swelled and churned, my eyes finally became too heavy to keep open and I fell asleep, the sound of Monomenon’s giggling invading my dreams.


	22. Discussion in the Dark

Some hours after the crown prince of Leonis' execution, five shadows gathered inside a room.

It was not known where this room was, but it did not matter. The shadows had one reason for coming to that room; to discuss the events transpiring within the walls of Seiko Academy. The shadows were anxious to have this meeting as the killing game had been progressing far more exceedingly than they had first anticipated. Four of the students had already fallen victim, and the shadows knew that more would follow their friends to the grave. That was the inescapable truth of the killing game, but the shadows always felt chills ripple through their spines as each new killing game brought innovation to the demise of Ultimate students. No two killing games were the same, and the hundredth edition had so far proved to be one of the most interesting ones. However, such meetings were necessary. There were variables that needed to be controlled.

The shadows took their seats in the room, which were invisible to the naked eye as no trace of light could be detected. But the shadows had no need for light. They had been to this room many times before and did not need their sight to know where to take themselves. Once they had all settled, one of them spoke.

"I believe," the first shadow began, "that congratulations are in order. The one hundredth killing game of Seiko Academy is flowing along at an agreeable pace, which I warmly welcome." The other shadows stiffened in the presence of the first speaker. They knew the voice of the first shadow very well and were overcome with honour at being in their presence.

"Your Eminence," stuttered the second shadow, "your killing games have always proved to be the most entertaining."

"Thank you," replied the first shadow, taking care not to refer to the other by name. Names were not needed in their cohort, hence the pitch-black room. "I have summoned you all here to discuss this killing game, as well as its participants both living and dead."

"We are honoured that His Eminence would even think to waste his time listening to us!" the third shadow exclaimed, their voice betraying a gushing tone. The first shadow ignored them.

"Both motives have been successful, Your Eminence," said the fourth shadow matter-of-factly, "and the other motives are ready to distribute among the students."

"Good. And what do we think of the first case? That of Sanda Heikichi and Hatanaka Shizue, if I recall?"

"Correct, Your Eminence," came the voice of the fifth shadow. That was all they said.

"If I may be so bold to express my opinions-" began the second shadow tentatively.

"Is that not what I _just_ asked of you? Pay attention." demanded the first shadow.

"Sorry, Your Eminence. I found the first case rather startling. To think that a boy as dumb as Hatanaka would use himself as the murder weapon - quite ingenious, I thought."

"On the contrary," snorted the fourth shadow, "it was an appropriately stupid action to take. A physical murder weapon would have been easier to dispose of - you cannot hide the cuts and bruises that beating a girl to death leaves behind. Then again, Hatanaka proved during the trial that he was useless at hiding evidence. A barely palpable beginning to the killing game, if I do say."

"But what of the girl?" asked the third shadow. "I understand she hid her emotions from her classmates, but it was never clear why?"

"It was how she was raised to be," explained the first shadow. "The students will learn the same thing should they venture to the library to read the updated Tetralogy of Despair again. I trust it is still being updated?"

"Already done." The fifth shadow again.

"Now, I want to discuss the death of the prince of Leonis."

"His execution was broadcast to the entire Ebony District as per your request, Your Eminence," reported the fifth shadow. "Naturally the whole country has descended into a repressed chaos. Security is on its highest ever alert; no one is allowed inside or outside the country's walls until the prince's execution site has been located. Of course, the country is too naive and self-righteous to think he was murdered elsewhere, much less inside a school. According to our eyes on the ground, the country is likely to break out into civil war. I even hear there are talks among the royal household to separate the Ivory Palace from the Ivory District and rule with an even more furtive totalitarianism."

"I am pleased to hear this. Such despair has never been brought to the outside world by our killing games before. You did well to summon the prince to the academy."

"Thank you, Your Eminence."

"What will happen to Leonis after this killing game?" asked the third shadow.

"Leonis is no longer any of our concern," responded the first shadow. "Our sources have not reported any more possible candidates for Ultimate students."

"Hardly surprising," said the second shadow, "that such a lowly country would be lacking in talent for His Eminence."

"Your boot-licking is off-putting. Stop," commanded the fifth shadow.

"I give the orders in this room," reprimanded the first shadow, but there was no response. _They must know what is coming today, _thought the first shadow to themselves. _That's why they're not speaking much._

"Well, I suppose we should talk about _that_ student," suggested the fourth shadow.

"Ah yes. They are proving to act as expected - though I am surprised they have yet to commit murder," remarked the third.

"Indeed, it would end the killing game much faster. They are capable of the perfect murder - the question is whether they're yet aware of their abilities."

"Forgive me, Your Eminence," interjected the second shadow, "but I was under the impression that the aim was for the student to be the sole survivor. Were the other murders not planned?"

"Let me ask you," replied the first shadow with a barely detectable hint of irritation in their voice, "does the number of murders affect the end result we want?"

"I... suppose it does not, Your Eminence. Please accept my sincerest apologies for speaking out of turn."

"Idiot," snarled the fifth shadow.

"If I may address a change of topic," began the fourth shadow, "but I wish to talk about the girl."

"What about her?" asked the first shadow.

"The prince stated in his confession that her talent could be dangerous. I am inclined to agree. She is very unpredictable and I worry she may be an obstacle for our chosen victor. She has already proven that she is very capable at solving murder cases, and her talent has come into effect on multiple occasions. It has even saved her from becoming a murder victim, given that she was the prince's intended target."

"An expected query," noted the first shadow, impressed that another had picked up on the matter, "however, do not worry yourself. There are two scenarios. The first is that she is murdered by a classmate. The second is that she lives to the end of the killing game, but she will ultimately fall to _them_. Believe me when I tell you all this: when the time where her talent is more important than anything comes, it will not save her. She will die."

"Another question, then," proposed the third shadow, "what if she murders another student?"

"She won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"She has been observed for many years," began the first shadow. "As you all know, we are responsible for scouting the most talented students in every field. Doing so requires time and research. We know each student better than they know themselves. That's why I am confident that the girl will not kill. But I am certain that she will fall into despair and die. That is the fate of all students of Seiko Academy." The first shadow chuckled to themselves. So empty was their laugh that even the other shadows felt themselves shrinking into their seats. But then the fifth shadow coughed politely.

"Oh, you have something else to report?" asked the third shadow.

"There is an anomaly. One of the students is not behaving as planned." The first shadow felt themselves frown. _How could that be? _

"Explain."

"One of the students lied throughout the second trial. They witnessed the prince kill Uehara and followed him as he went about tidying up his crime. They also saw him attack the Mina girl. They knew everything about the crime from start to finish, but feigned ignorance during the trial. I propose we keep an eye on them, as such behaviour is an unwelcome risk." The first shadow breathed a sigh of relief and even let out a small laugh.

"Did I... say something wrong, Your Eminence?" questioned the fifth shadow, perplexed at the reaction.

"How interesting. What an entertaining development!" they exclaimed.

"You are not perturbed by this new information, Your Eminence?" asked the third shadow.

"Not at all. You all need to understand that the ending to this killing game has already been determined. It does not matter how the other students behave, nothing will stop _them_ from winning the game. No amount of luck nor lies will change that outcome. But just so I know, which student is it?" The fifth shadow told them. "How interesting, I would not have expected them to betray the others."

"Such unfettered confidence, Your Eminence. Truly you are an incomparable mastermind!" proclaimed the second shadow in awe.

"Be silent!"

"S-sorry... Your Eminence..."

The first shadow exhaled loudly before saying: "You three may leave now. I bore of this discussion in the dark, and there is a matter I must discuss in private with _you_." The shadows couldn't see whom those statements were directed at, but they instinctively knew that the fifth shadow was to stay behind. There was a light ruffle of clothing as the second, third and fourth shadows stood from their seats and silently departed from the room, not daring to let a single beam of light in. Once the first shadow was certain they were out of earshot, they opened their mouth to speak, but the fifth shadow was faster.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Ah, so you figured it out. You always were one of the more perceptive members."

"I've known since the prince received his invitation to attend the academy that this day would come. I did not expect him to die so soon. Truth be told, I'm disappointed in how poorly he carried out his crime - his intelligence far surpassed the quality of his murder."

"Was his intelligence of any consequence when all the students are doomed to die?"

"No," was the hesitant answer.

"I see you still held a soft spot for the boy, even to the end of both your lives. As I said earlier, you have done well. But your usefulness has expired, I'm afraid, which means you must die." The first shadow was surprised when there was no answer, but then they reached over to where they knew the other was seated. What their fingers were met with was deathly cold skin, and they realised that the fifth shadow was already dead. The first shadow regretted having to annihilate such a treasured and valuable piece to his game, but there was no other possible choice. Despair had overcome the country of Leonis and the students of Seiko Academy, therefore the fifth shadow was no longer required. That morning, the one they called 'His Eminence' laced the fifth shadow's food with a slow-acting poison that an old friend of theirs had concocted. _The timing of the fifth's shadow demise couldn't have been more perfect,_ the first shadow noted, congratulating themselves on the serendipity of their colleague's death.

The first shadow stood up. _I am done here, for now_. They left the room, having already forgotten about the corpse that had been the fifth shadow. _Someone has already been chosen to replace them._ Now occupying their mind were thoughts of the next steps in the killing game. The first shadow was wary they needed to wait a short while before giving the students more motivation to commit murder. The conflict between the students' hope of surviving and their despair at realising the impossibility of such naivete was a difficult thing to balance. They needed to wait for the students to gain hope in order to crush it beneath the despair of the killing game. The first shadow smiled.

"So, a liar among the group? That will be an intriguing development... but when to reveal it..." Their laugh echoed chillingly. For a brief moment, in the darkness of the meeting room, the shadow's laugh seemed to even stir the lifeless body of the fifth shadow to recoil away from it.

\---

The first shadow returned to their home, where their butler was eagerly awaiting their arrival.

"Your Eminence. Welcome back," the butler said with a bow. "I trust your meeting went according to plan?"

"Yes, my expectations were more than satisfied."

"That is splendid news, Your Eminence."

"I desire to eat. What has the cook made?"

"Ah, tonight he has prepared a special treat for you. I believe he is preparing some pie, but he avoided answering me directly when I inquired about the filling." The shadow frowned. "Forgive me, Your Eminence, for failing you. However, the chef did ask me to pass on a message."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Your Eminence. He told me to tell you that tonight's main dish is special because the ingredients all came from Leonis. As you know, exports from Leonis are rare, so we are honoured to be able to serve you such delicacies. Oh, and another thing - I had almost forgotten."

"Do tell."

"The chef also said this: 'Tell His Eminence that this dish is going to have a _princely _taste'. He urged I used those exact words, but their meaning is unclear to me. Your Eminence?" But the shadow ignored the butler.

They just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Thank you for staying with my story through two whole trials! I must admit I did not expect so much interest for a text-based fangan that isn't based on the canon characters.
> 
> I just wanted to take this space to write that I hope everyone is staying safe in this difficult time. Self-care is more important than ever at present, so please make sure you're all looking after your health, both physical and mental.
> 
> For those of you who don't know, I live in the UK. I have been identified as something called a 'key worker' which means I have to continue working through the pandemic because I work in the public health and social care sector. This means that some weeks I simply have no time to dedicate to Blades of Despair. I am going to finish the work, do not worry! But understandably the situation a hand may slow my progress.
> 
> Because of this, I encourage you all to follow me on Twitter @DanganHyper, where I post any and all updates. Furthermore, please interact with me in the comments. I would love to hear any thoughts/predictions/reactions you have to the cast and story. We have over half the cast drawn thanks to my good friend @sauveurtb on Twitter, so I highly recommend coming to Twitter to see them!
> 
> On an unrelated note, if you speak Russian or Spanish and you would feel more comfortable writing a comment below in those languages, please do so. I understand both languages as well as English.
> 
> Right, enough babbling! I know this chapter is short, but I feel like that's the best thing to do after trials chapters!
> 
> Love you all and thank you for your continued support!
> 
> \- HyperDangan


	23. Exploring In Memoriam Part I

_How long is this going to continue?_

It was the morning after Edward's execution, and I had just woken up from a turbulent rest riddled with nightmares. I clutched at my head, which was throbbing from exhaustion and grief. I didn't want to get out of bed, but I didn't have a choice. I had to, because to get out of bed meant that I was still alive, and that's what we had to remind ourselves. We were still alive and fighting to survive, at the cost of four lives. We had already lost a quarter of our cohort to the cruelty of Seiko Academy's secret truth. And how many other secrets were lurking within with walls of the academy? How many of the students, like Edward, were hiding their own truths from the rest of us? An uneasy, doubtful feeling swelled and my headache worsened, making me audibly groan in frustration. I rolled over and picked up my Seiko-pad from the bedside table and checked the time. Five o'clock in the morning. I groaned again and threw my head back against my pillow, shutting my eyes tightly and willing myself to go back to sleep. I stayed like that for another few minutes, but I knew I wasn't going to succumb. My head was too frazzled, occupied with questions of doubt.

"This isn't going to solve anything," I said to myself. I wanted to scream into my pillow and cry, but I was too drained to even do that. I settled for going to the diner, so I changed into some clothes, pulled up my red hair into a lazy ponytail and stepped into the hallway. I knew it was still very risky to walk through the school at these early hours, but I was too tired to care. I almost mindlessly made my way to the dining hall, only coming to my senses when a rich, oily aroma filled my nostrils, a smell I recognised immediately. _Why is someone cooking bacon at five in the morning? I guess Iowa couldn't sleep either. _I walked through the diner and straight to the kitchen area; the scent of cooking meat caused my stomach to growl and I remembered I hadn't eaten in some time. I opened my mouth to greet Iowa, but my breath caught when I saw who the cook was.

Morino was stood at the gas stove, his trademark scowl etched onto his face as he awkwardly fumbled with a frying pan. He was wearing a green pinstriped apron on his front and had his hair slicked back. To the side of the stove, atop the kitchen counter were several plates covered in mountains of... _charcoal?_ Then I realised that the piles of charcoal were in fact streaks of burned bacon - failed attempts at cooking. _How long had he been cooking? _I asked myself in disbelief.

"You're awake." I moved my attention away from the victims of Morino's cooking and looked at him.

"You're cooking."

"Yes."

"I didn't expect to find you here."

"You thought I was Iowa?"

"Yes."

"Hm." The conversation died, and we were silent for a few seconds.

"I think your bacon is burning again." His eyes widened very briefly and he hastily turned back to the meat, confusedly fiddling with the various gauges. The pan hissed and drips of fat flew at Morino, causing him to jump back. Flames cracked around the pan and I strolled over to the stove and turned it off. I turned to Morino and noticed that his apron was covered in honey-coloured splotches where fat had undoubtedly sprayed him from earlier attempts.

"I... have never cooked before," he admitted.

"And you chose to cook bacon?"

"People eat bacon in the mornings, don't they? I wanted to practice."

"Why didn't you ask Iowa?"

"I started at half past three. I don't think she was awake."

"Why are you even cooking?" a slight pink hue tinted his cheeks, but it was so faint I wouldn't have noticed it had he not tore his gaze away from mine.

"I thought it would cheer everyone up after yesterday. Iowa works hard to make meals, so I thought I could help."

"I didn't think you cared about the rest of us." I immediately regretted those words. Why was I criticising him for making an unexpected and genuine effort? "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Think nothing of it. You're right after all."

"No, I'm really-"

"I said it's fine, Ori." He had said my name with such a stern ferocity that I shut my mouth, not wanting to upset him any more than I already had done. I knew my words had shaken him, even though Morino was excellent at hiding his thoughts and feelings.

"Do... do you want me to help?"

"You know how to cook?"

"I know how to not cremate bacon."

"Point taken." I put on an identical apron to Morino and dumped his latest failure onto the growing pile and put a clean pan onto the stove.

"So, firstly you heat oil in the pan like this and then..." Slowly and methodically, I explained and demonstrated how to cook the meat. It took some time, but eventually I felt confident to let the boy with the unknown talent cook a batch unassisted. I found the look of intense concentration on Morino's face throughout very amusing, but I tried to conceal my grin. Finally, he proudly presented a plate of cooked bacon to me.

"I did it." He was almost smiling.

"Well then, Morino, do you want to try some? And if we don't discover what your talent is, we can always suggest Ultimate Bacon Chef." I joked with him, and the slightest curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe. But you eat it."

"Why me?"

"I don't like bacon." I threw my spatula at him.

\--- 

"Why the fuck does it smell like bacon in here?" exclaimed Iowa as she walked into the kitchen, pinching her nose in disgust.

"Good morning, Iowa," I greeted cheerily. It was now half past six. Morino and I were attempting to clean away the mess that Morino had created in the kitchen. It was a heavy task, and some of the stains on the pans were proving to be outright impossible to remove, no matter how hard I scrubbed them.

"I was cooking," Morino explained.

"Cooking? It smells like you set fire to a whole pigsty," Iowa screeched.

"The smell isn't that bad..." I began, but one look from Iowa silenced me. Then, she exhaled deeply.

"Leave the washing to me," she said, "I need something to do, and you two have caused enough damage." Morino and I discarded our aprons and quickly left Iowa alone in the kitchen. As we left, I heard her muttering discontentedly to herself about the mess and the stench. We sat in the dining hall, looking down at our thumbs after our scolding from Iowa. We decided to wait for the others to wake up, which only took about thirty minutes. Saza, Nishi and Miyagawa were the first to come.

"Good morning, Ori," said Miyagawa as he sat down next to me. The dark circles under his eyes revealed to me that he had also struggled to sleep last night, but annoyingly he still looked quite handsome. "Why do you smell of bacon?" I frowned at him - _was the smell really that strong?_

"I was cooking with Morino. We couldn't sleep so we went to the kitchen." Another weird expression flashed across Miyagawa's face as I said that, and I was confused. This was not the first time that he had had that look on his face - the first time was when I went investigating with Yoneda after Sanda's death. What was going on with him? Before I could question him, Yoneda, Mitsumi, Mina, Tokunaga, Ouji and Morihei all entered the room in fairly quick succession. In the back of my mind, I was relieved to see that everyone was still alive. Even if the others were crestfallen and despaired, it was better than the alternative. They all exchanged gloomy greetings and unceremoniously took their seats at the table. Evidently, the events of yesterday still weighed heavily on everyone's souls. I glanced at Mina and it was obvious that she had not slept at all. She looked depressed, and my heart ached for her. Losing her best friend, Edward's execution and the consequences of his execution in the real world - I couldn't imagine how she was coping with all of those thoughts. I could tell that she was conflicted about the events of the past twenty-four hours. Now that Edward was gone, was she now regretting not forgiving him?

"Hi, everyone," said Tokunaga with a sad smile. "It is a stupid question, but how is everyone?" Nobody answered. Actually, nobody knew how to answer that question. Had this been a normal academy, I would have complained about the headache I had when I woke up or joked about how bad Morino's cooking skills were or talked about what my plans for that day were. But in Seiko Academy, something like a headache was a trifling concern when my friends were killing each other.

"I couldn't sleep," admitted Morihei eventually, "what we saw yesterday... was just too cruel."

"Maybe w-we shouldn't t-talk about it," suggested Mitsumi.

"I think that would an insult to... those two," replied Yoneda. We couldn't even utter the names of those we had lost. We couldn't say Edward, nor Uehara; they felt like dirty words, but moreover saying their names would ultimately bring us back to the reality that this could happen again. We weren't prepared for the thought of another betrayal, another murder, or another execution. Miyagawa coughed nervously.

"I checked my Seiko-pad's map this morning. It seems another floor of the school was made accessible during the night."

"I saw that too," noted Nishi, "perhaps we should go there to take our minds off things." We all agreed to explore the new floor after breakfast, which was eaten in a suffocating silence. Once we were all ready, we headed over to the elevator as a group. As I was about to exit the cafeteria, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Morihei, looking at me with an unsure and sheepish expression.

"Morihei? What's wrong?"

"Before we go up," she began, "I wanted to apologise for the way I behaved during the trial. I know that I pressed very hard, perhaps too hard, for you to be Uehara's killer. Looking back, it was very inappropriate and I'm honesty surprised nobody called out how suspicious that kind of behaviour was." I had to admit, Morihei's actions did make me suspect her for most of yesterday's trial, but I am glad that it was untrue.

"Well, we are still alive. Every discussion we have in the trials is important. Besides, I don't think I can blame you for pinning me as the murderer, there wasn't any evidence to disprove you."

"Miyagawa lied, didn't he? You two didn't spend the night of the murder together, did you?" I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

"How do you know...?"

"Miyagawa is a convincing liar, but you are not," Morihei said with a dry smile. "I knew that something was weird about his sudden testimony, but if Miyagawa's lie had been exposed, the trial would have been even more complicated as he would have been a suspect as well. I wonder why he lied to protect you, though."

"I don't know," I admitted, "it caught me by surprise, but I played along because I knew I was innocent."

"Do you really not know why?" Morihei asked, and I raised an eyebrow. _Should I know?_

"No, I have no idea. Do you?" The Ultimate Coleopterist shrugged.

"Boys are weird, I couldn't begin to guess what's going on in their minds. So, are we friends again?" She said the last part shyly, but I just smiled.

"Of course," I replied, this time putting my hand on her shoulder, "now come on, the others will be waiting."

"Right."

Morihei and I began an engrossing conversation about beetles as we walked to the elevator to see the newly-opened floor of the school. We hadn't thought to check our Seiko-pads' map of the new area, but we were going as a group anyway, so it mattered little. As we ascended to the third floor, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that once again Miyagawa and Ouji were whispering to one another. I did wonder what they could be discussing, and an unusual feeling bubbled in my chest whenever Miyagawa smiled at Ouji. Eventually, the metal cage groaned to a halt and the doors opened to reveal a new, unfamiliar corridor. The third floor of the school. The first thing I did, much like my classmates, was retrieve my Seiko-pad from my pocket and load up the map. Ahead of me was a long corridor which veered to the right onto another. On the left-hand side of the second corridor was the entrance to a very large room symbolised by a flower. My best guess was that this room was some sort of garden or florist - I was unsure. The room itself took over roughly a quarter of the entire space on the third floor. On the right-hand side of the same corridor was the entrance to a very large classroom simply marked '3-A.' At the end of the corridor was a two-way split in the path to the left and to the right; on the left-hand side was another classroom called '3-B,' while on the right hand side there was a third class room labelled '3-C.' Between the two classrooms was a slightly larger room symbolised with a potions bottle. I was unsure what this room supposed to be. _Perhaps a chemist lab or a science lab,_ I thought. However I then questioned why there was a science lab on the third floor of the Academy and what purpose it had in a building that was designed to facilitate students killing one another. I began to suspect that the room would contain harmful and dangerous chemicals, poisons and other substances ready to be used in elaborate schemes and plots to murder. Did the two bears really expect us to know how to use poisons, or was it simply there to mock us and remind us of the fact that we weren't real students in a real school, but rather players in a game that resulted in the needless deaths of so many of our friends?

"It looks like on this floor there are five rooms," said Yoneda, looking up from his device, "and there are... twelve of us who can explore. That means three pairs and two groups of three. Who wants to explore what?" He had hesitated when counting the heads in the group. _Only twelve of us left already._

"I would like to go to this room with a flower on it," said Ouji cheerfully, "it could contain things that are pertinent to my talent."

"I'm in the same boat as Ouji," agreed Morihei, who was still stood at my side, "if there are flowers there, then I am hoping that there are some bugs there too." I shuddered a little - sometimes I forgot that Morihei was an insect fanatic, and I really couldn't understand how someone so adorable and demure could enjoy a hobby that seemed so creepy.

"Iowa and I shall go to classroom 3-B," Saza piped up, "Mina, do you want to come with us? Mina?" We all turned to the her, but she was looking down. I then recalled that she had not said a word all day, and hadn't seemed to have heard Saza's question. After a few seconds, she must have felt everyone's gaze upon her because she looked up at us with sad, dewy and unfocused eyes.

"Did someone... say something?" she croaked.

"Saza and I were wondering if you wanted to come with us and look around one of the classrooms," said Iowa with an encouraging smile, but it had no visible effect on Mina.

"Sure, if you want," was the despondent reply.

"It's not about whether we want to, we're asking-"

"I said it's fine!" We were all surprised by Mina's shout, save for Morino.

"Listen, Mina," he said with a huff, "if you're not going to be helpful, then you may as well stay here by yourself."

"Morino!" Nishi exclaimed, but Morino held up his hand.

"No, she needs some tough truth right now," he said defiantly. "Listen to me carefully, Mina. Uehara is dead and she's not coming back."

"Enough, Morino," I cried. _What was he doing? _But he continued.

"If you're going to stand there and mope, don't get in our way. We all want to escape, and we have been trying to do so since we found out about the killing game. Uehara wanted to survive, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. We can't let that deter us. I know you're upset, but you're no different than anyone else in the group. We were all hurt by what happened, but that's no excuse to give up the fight to survive. To give up now would be an insult to the memories of Sanda, Hatanaka, Uehara and even Edward." Morino then softened his voice slightly while maintaining a stern tone. "Uehara liked exploring, didn't she?" The last comment seemed to stir something within Mina. While we were all too dumbfounded by Morino's outburst, Mina looked at him with an unidentifiable expression and burst into tears.

"Morino, that was uncalled for," said Saza scathingly, rushing over to Mina's side and putting a protective arm around her. But then Mina said something completely unexpected.

"He's right."

"What?"

"Uehara would have loved to explore this new floor," Mina sniffled, "but she's not here to do that anymore. So maybe I should... maybe I should explore _for_ her."

"Maybe her soul can be part of exploring group," suggested Tokunaga happily. Mina nodded slowly, before jumping into the air very suddenly. Saza jumped back in surprise!

"Alright! No more crying - I'm going to search for clues! I'll take Uehara with me too and we can find them together! Come on, guys!" With that, Mina practically sprinted away from us towards the classroom.

"Mina! Wait!" shouted Iowa as she and Saza hurried after them. As they ran, Saza cast a fleeting scowl in Morino's directions, but he merely shrugged.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Nishi.

"It's as I said. If Mina was going to continue to act like she was the only one affected by Uehara's death, then she was useless in accomplishing what the rest of us came to this new area for. It would have been unfair to us to lead someone who'd rather wallow in self-pity. Mourning is not a luxury we have when our top priority should be escape."

"I get that, but to do so in such a way..." Morihei trailed off.

"I was honest. I know I'm not the most trusted person in the group anyway, so it was probably for the best that that honesty came from me."

"Then why are you so intent on escaping?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, never mind. Stupid question," I quickly corrected myself. Now was not the time to remind us of the motive videos, and particularly what we had seen in Morino's. While I knew that the others would soon forget that I had raised a question, the look that Morino was giving me indicated he knew what I was thinking.

"So, with that one classroom sorted, should we decide on the remaining rooms?" Ouji asked, hastily shifting the topic. It was agreed that Yoneda, Morino and Tokunaga would look at Classroom 3-A, while Ouji and Morihei left for the floral room; as it was the largest room by far, they needed the most time to look around. It was then decided that I would go to the laboratory with Miyagawa, and Nishi and Mitsumi would investigate Classroom 3-C. As Miyagawa and I strolled to the end of the second corridor where the entrance to the laboratory appeared to beckon us. I wasn't sure what any of us were due to discover on this floor, but like Mina, thoughts of the ones we had lost came to me and I felt a surge of inner strength and determination. _If I can use my talent to help my friends escape the killing game alive, then I will stop at nothing to find something._

Sadly, the walls of Seiko Academy heard my thoughts, and the secrets they were hiding were ready once more to thrust us into despair.


	24. Exploring In Memoriam Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Before you read the next chapter, I have a very exciting announcement. There is now a Discord server for Blades of Despair, which you can find at the following link:
> 
> https://discord.gg/t3m48bp
> 
> I look forward to seeing any of you there - everyone is welcome!
> 
> In other news, we have almost all of our character sprites ready, which is so exciting and beyond thrilling! If you don't follow me on Twitter, then make sure you do so @DanganHyper for any and all updates! Thank you all so much for your continued support!

When Miyagawa and I entered the laboratory, we were greeted with another unassuming classroom littered with various scientific supplies and equipment. Microscopes, anatomy posters and other items I didn't know the names of were scattered across the desks and walls. Looking at the layout of the room, it was clear that there was nothing to immediately be suspicious of, but because we were in Seiko Academy I was wary of anything and everything. Towards the back of the room was a handful of desks compared to the classroom that Miyagawa and I had investigated before, and waist-high lab tables lined the outer perimeter of the room save for the wall we had entered from. To the left of us stood a large glass cabinet filled with bottles and containers of different shapes and sizes, while to our right was a metal cabinet. The second cabinet was plated with navy titanium and a light golden frame but was not transparent, unlike its glass counterpart. I then noticed that it was locked, but I could not see a key nearby.

"What do you think is in there?" asked Miygawa, who had walked to my side.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it's probably very dangerous," I replied. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've seen anything with a lock on it, so there must be a reason for the bears to hide it away from us."

"Why would they hide something dangerous?" Miyagawa said pensively.

"You're right, that doesn't make sense," I realised. If the bears wanted us to kill each other, then it would be unusual for the bears to lock away something that would enable a murder.

"Whatever is hidden in here, it's clear the bears don't want us to get a hold of it. That probably means it contains something counterproductive to the killing game."

"Well, for now, we should investigate the rest of the room, then come back to this. My guess is that the other cabinet contains things that will continue the game, so we should look at that, the desks and all the pieces of equipment." Miyagawa agreed and we turned our attention to the set of glass shelves. As I had suspected, most of the bottles were adorned with labels that suggested that the substances contained within were toxic, corrosive or even deadly. There were at least several dozen bottles per shelf that were marked this way, and it was greatly concerning that such toxins were sitting there, readily available for anyone to take. It would be so easy to get away with a murder using one of these; no mess and no obvious evidence to pinpoint to a culprit since we all have access to the room. I shook those thoughts out my head; if I were to convince myself that I could get away with murdering one of my friends, then the next motive would be especially compelling. I wanted us all to survive together, and I certainly didn't want to have to face any more deaths.

"What shall we do about these?" I asked.

"Leave them alone for now. We'll have to reconvene and talk to the others about them, formulate a plan and dispose of them if possible. I'm hoping someone like Ouji will know what to do with the poisons at the very least." I nodded and we split to cover the remaining items in the room.

\---

"So, did you find anything?" Miyagawa finally asked, bending backward slightly to stretch out his spine after looking under desks and table for a while. I shook my head.

"Nothing that warrants suspicion," I replied, "I think the only things we can report back to the others are the chemicals and the locked cabinet."

"This is the first time your talent hasn't found anything useful," Miyagawa said with a small chuckle. I looked down at my feet.

"That may be so, but sometimes that's a lucky thing," I mumbled, "the last time I found an important clue, it resulted in us sentencing Edward to death." Miyagawa stopped laughing.

"Ori... you don't blame yourself for his death, do you?"

"Of course I do, Miyagawa," I said in a near whisper, "I blame myself for all of their deaths. Because of me, we had to execute two of our friends. And I was powerless to help the people they killed."

"But you couldn't have known that any of the murders would take place!"

"I know!" I cried. "I know, Miyagawa, but that doesn't change the fact that my talent has been used in both class trials. Because of me, people have died." Unexpectedly, Miyagawa gripped my forearm and spun me around to face him. I looked up at him and was astonished to see him fiercely glaring at me.

"Listen to me. Nobody has died because of something you did. The only ones we should be blaming for the deaths of our friends are the bastards who locked us into this hellhole! I never want to hear you blame yourself for their deaths - it will eat away at your mind and consume you. My father made me feel culpable for my mother's death my entire childhood, constantly telling me how grateful I should be that my mother allowed me to murder her to save myself. The guilt and shame of believing I had killed my own mother deprived me of a childhood, but moreover it deprived me of any self-worth, love and happiness, at least until Gran and Junichi rescued me. That kind of life is the most degrading thing anyone can experience, and I would rather die than let someone important to me go through what I did!" Hot tears welled in my eyes and stung my cheeks as they fell. Miyagawa's frightful gaze softened, and he lowered his voice. "I do care about you, Ori, so I don't want you to say things like that anymore, okay?"

"Okay," I gulped, wiping my tears away with my free hand. "I promise I won't. Thank you, Miyagawa."

"It's fine, Ori," he said, finally smiling when he was satisfied my negative thoughts were gone, "I prefer it when you're happy. You have a nice smile." I hushed him as I tried to desperately hide my blush. "Shall we head back?"

"Yes, let's go." We left the laboratory behind and returned to the elevator in comfortable silence to wait for the others to finish their investigations. I didn't even notice that Miyagawa never let go of my arm.

\---

"Well now, what's going on here? Were you two getting frisky in the laboratory or something?" Ouji's jovial shout greeted us as we approached the elevator, shaking me from my thoughts. Everyone except Yoneda, Tokunaga and Morino had returned, and they were all looking at Miyagawa and I. I looked down at Miyagawa's hand wrapped around my arm and wrestled his grip loose as my face grew hot. His face betrayed a fleeting disappointment, but he smiled and replied to Ouji.

"What better place than to have chemistry than in a science laboratory?" I gave him an incredulous look - _was he flirting?_ Ouji laughed loudly.

"Very good, Miyagawa! I shall have to remember that one for my next encounter," she mused, joking wiggling her eyebrows at me. "I've never thought to enjoy myself in a lab, and nerdy types are just so cute!" I shuffled on my feet nervously.

"I hope you don't mean me, Ouji" said Yoneda anxiously, who had arrived with Morino and Tokunaga.

"You are cute, Yoneda," she chuckled, "but I don't think you'd agree to what I have in mind." Yoneda gulped.

"I'm sorry to cut such an... interesting conversation short," interrupted Morihei, "but I think everyone has returned, so shouldn't we discuss what we found?" Morihei was bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet, a huge smile plastered across her face. _Did she find something?_

"Why are you so excited?" asked Tokunaga. Ouji giggled.

"The room we investigated was a huge botanical garden," Morihei cheered, "there were flowers, trees and even an allotment for growing crops!"

"I would say that the garden itself takes up about eighty percent of the room," continued Ouji, "then at the back of the area there is a shed filled to the brim with every kind of gardening tool. This will be really useful for cultivating the garden. There was also a greenhouse-like building at the back, but instead of plants, it contained-"

"BEETLES!" Morihei bellowed at the top of her voice, startling everyone. "There were other insects in there too, but there were beetles! They're all so beautiful, and there are some really rare species in there!" Morihei spent a few minutes breathlessly listing various facts about the specimens that she had spotted and identified in the garden. It was both unsettling and cute how engrossed in her coleopterology she had become - I really wasn't sure how someone like Morihei could have developed such a talent, but it was great that she at least had an area she could devote herself to. A garden was also a surprisingly welcome addition to the academy, because it provided a different, more natural atmosphere that reminded me that there was an outside world waiting for us. The other entertainment rooms of the academy (the games room, the pool and the music hall) had all been tainted by their involvement in the murders, so having a new place to relax was-

"Morihei, are you going to let the others say what they found?" asked Morino eventually. Morihei stopped rambling and blushed furiously.

"I guess I did get a bit carried away," she muttered in embarrassment, "but I am the Ultimate Coleopterist."

"In other news," continued Morino, "Yoneda found another code in the classroom we searched, presumably left by the same Ultimate Cryptologist we heard about on the first floor. Using the same key as before, we were able to solve it very quickly, but alas it does not make sense whatsoever."

"Please can you show us what the code said?" asked Miyagawa, and Yoneda nodded. The Ultimate Polyglot retrieved a bit of paper from his pocket and read aloud something that defied belief.

"The others are finally dead. Triumph to the Blades of Despair. I have won. Despair, Despair, Despair. Thank you, Your Eminence, for the gift of Despair." We were all stunned into silence as Yoneda finished reading. The note send chills down my spine as the eerie tone of the former Ultimate Cryptologist's words sunk in.

"What on earth does that mean?" cried Iowa.

"We know thus far that the Ultimate Cryptologist murdered eight students and won their killing game," I said, "but what 'triumph' was there, and why was it in favour of the Blades of Despair?"

"Was the Ultimate Cryptologist a member of the group?" suggested Tokunaga. We all thought for a moment; that did seem a very plausible answer.

"But who is this 'Your Eminence'?" asked Mina. "What is an Eminence?"

"I'll explain that later," said Yoneda, "but I would assume that His Eminence is the mastermind behind the killing game. In the Tetralogy of Despair, Kinji Ishotaru is the most likely candidate to be the mastermind, so it's logical to think the two are connected."

"But we also agreed that Kinji Ishotaru must be dead given how long ago his killing game was. Besides, you would think the note would name their leader," countered Nishi.

"Gnnh... this is all too confusing for my head," cried Mina. "But it is weird how you found another note. I guess those bears weren't very careful."

"Actually, I think they wanted us to find the note," said Tokunaga, "because of the state of the classroom where we found it."

"The... state of the classroom?"

"It would be easier to show you all," said Yoneda with a grim expression, and he led us all to Classroom 3-A that he had searched with Morino and Tokunaga. When he opened the door, I audibly gasped. The room was in complete disarray; the furniture was destroyed and their pieces and debris were strewn about the floor. Scratches and cuts lined a large portion of the visible floor and walls, but the most horrifying sight was the blood. There was blood everywhere, but it wasn't fresh blood like we had seen before - it had dried long ago and soaked itself into the very fabrics of the room. The stains and splatters were a murky maroon colour and there was a still a faint odour of decay in the air, as though the souls of those had perished here were still lingering around us.

"What... h-happened here?" asked Mitsumi in astonishment, his eyes desperately seeking a space not covered in morbid gore, but he could find none.

"It's everywhere," whispered Iowa, who was stood beside me.

"Our best guess," said Yoneda, diverting our attention back to the search group, "is that this is where the killing game before ours concluded. We think this is the end of the ninety-ninth killing game."

"And how wrong you would be," came a shriek behind us, and we whirled around to see Monomenon. Even though his face was inanimate, I could have sworn he was laughing.

"What are you doing here?" I growled.

"All hands on deck, carrot-top," chuckled the bear, "I just came to bring you some clarification on this here room, that code you found and the person who wrote it."

"Then get it over with," demanded Saza, "and get your ass out of here."

"Why don't you guys like me?" Monomenon whined. "I suppose it doesn't matter anyway. So, who's ready for some Seiko Academy trivia? The blood in this room.. is from fifteen killing games ago! Specifically, the killing game that was won by the Ultimate Cryptologist. This is the room where they murdered eight of their classmates - quite a mess, let me tell you."

"We can see that," muttered Morino, "but why clarify that for us? What do you stand to gain from us understanding more about the killing game?"

"Who can say?" Monomenon responded with a gleeful laugh. "Consider it my own personal gift for killing Edward."

"You bastard!" shouted Nishi.

"Oh, and another thing," said Monomenon, ignoring Nishi, "I cannot believe you found another code. I guess Monoworth and I should have been more attentive..."

"Do not lie," ordered Tokunaga.

"Lie?"

"Yes, you are lying."

"And how do you know that, you pot-bellied piggy?"

"I will ignore that comment. I know you lie because the note wasn't hidden, it was just lying on the floor. We already found a note on the first floor, so if you didn't want us to find any more clues like that, you would have searched the other floors of the school. You _wanted _us to find this code." Monomenon was silent. _Had Tokunaga really called out a lie?_

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for, opera boy," admitted Monomenon, "but that doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter?"

"Nope! My lie isn't a big deal, in the grand scheme of things. You're still stuck here and more of you are going to die!"

"Then why not give us another motive, here and now?" challenged Miyagawa. Monomenon turned his back to us.

"We aren't ready yet, but I'm not to blame for that..."

"Not to blame? Then, who is?" I asked.

"Who can say?" Monomenon repeated. He was then suddenly lifted away and we were all left in silence, more perplexed than we had been before he appeared.

"Eight students, just like us, were murdered here?" whimpered Mina. "I wonder if anyone of them were like Uehara."

"I think it best," I said, "that we leave this room and not come back. Ever. The atmosphere is making my head hurt." There was certainly something that felt heavy in the air, an unfathomable, noxious sensation that made my head throb. We all hastily departed and firmly closed the door behind us. Desperate to move the conversation to an alternative topic, I asked if anyone else had discovered anything, but learned that classrooms 3-B and 3-C had been void of anything suspicious, which left only the science lab that Miyagawa and I had searched.

"Did you guys discover anything in there?" asked Iowa.

"Yes, but it's not good news," said Miyagawa, "there is a glass cabinet in there that is fully stocked with various poisons and corrosive acids." Several of the others' faces paled at the revelation.

"P-p-poison?" squealed Mitsumi. Miyagawa nodded, then turned to Ouji.

"As the Ultimate Naturalist, we were hoping that you may know something about how to destroy these substances." Ouji sighed.

"Autopsies, poisons, I am just _loving_ my talent's uses at this place," she murmured miserably, "but fine, I will see what I can do."

"I'll help," offered Yoneda, "there are plenty of books on chemistry and toxicology in the library." Ouji thanked him and the two began to leave, but I stopped them.

"There's something else in there that you should know about," I said. "There's another cabinet in there, but it's locked tight and we couldn't find a key. If you guys think you can figure out another way to open it, let us know."

"I'll have a look for any books on lock-picking," affirmed Yoneda. _That guy is too helpful for his own good. _Once Ouji and Yoneda had left our sight, the discussion on our next steps began.

"If everyone doesn't mind," began Morihei bashfully, "I'd really like to go back to the beetles in the garden." Nobody stopped her, nor did anyone offer to go with her, so Morihei happily skipped away in the direction of the garden.

"I think we should all go and do our separate things to pass the time," suggested Saza, "that was a lot to take in and I'm hungry. Hey, Iowa, do you want to grab some pizza?"

"Nothing would make me happier," giggled the green-haired girl. Most of us decided to accompany them, as investigating had given us all an appetite. But as we walked back to the elevator, discussing our favourite pizza toppings, several thoughts swirled around my head. I thought about the locked cabinet, the delay in the next Motive Day, the Blades of Despair and the fates of the students in classroom 3-A. _Were they all connected, and how so? _Little did I know that my curiosity would soon be satisfied.

At the deadliest cost imaginable.


	25. Boys by a Graveyard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from Nishi's perspective. In the next chapter, the perspective will switch back to Ori.

It was night-time. _Today has been a long day_, I thought to myself as I crawled under the sheets of my bed, _I should get some rest._

_Tap, tap._

The noise at my door was so quiet I barely heard it. Unsure if my ears were playing tricks on me, I stayed still to listen out for the sound again.

_Tap, tap, tap._

There was the noise, but louder this time. I quickly threw on a t-shirt to cover my tattoos and walked over to the door to my room, slowly and warily opening it inch by inch. My apprehension soon dissipated when I saw that Mitsumi had been the one knocking.

"Mimi!" I exclaimed happily.

"Hi, Nishi," he said sheepishly, nervously swaying from side to side on the balls of his feet. Even with the mask on, I still thought he was adorable as he struggled to make eye contact with me. The big height difference between the two of us probably didn't help the matter any. "Were you sleeping?" I shook my head.

"I had just gotten into bed when you knocked," I replied, but then I frowned. "Is everything okay? Are you still having bad dreams? Do you want to stay in my room again?" Mitsumi waved his hands and shook his head, blushing at the barrage of questions.

"No, everything is okay. I'm okay," he whispered. "I came to see you to ask a favour." _A favour? At this hour?_

"Sure, anything for you, Mimi," I grinned, causing him to blush more. I knew he liked that nickname, but he wouldn't admit it to me.

"Can we go to the garden? I have an idea," he said, pointing to an object at his feet. I looked down to see a small wicker basket filled with an assortment of items. I couldn't make out what any of them were in the dimly lit corridor.

"What's in the basket?"

"I'll explain when we get to the garden. But we don't have to go tonight, we can go some other time," Mimi hastily added.

"Of course, I'll go with you! Someone has to keep you safe," I said, slipping on a pair of trainers and shutting my door behind me. With the light from my room now gone, the corridor suddenly got much darker, but was soon illuminated by the beam from a flashlight that Mimi had taken from the basket. He passed me the flashlight and then gestured me to take hold of something else he was holding in his hand. It was a piece of black fabric. I look at him quizzically.

"It's one of the ribbons we danced with at the music contest," he explained, the pink hue of his cheeks not quite disappearing behind his mask. "I thought it would be the best way for us to not lose one another while we make our way over there." Thankful that the beam of light wasn't shining on my own face, which was now getting hot from the interaction, I grabbed one end of the ribbon and gently tugged on it. I took care to walk slowly, as my legs were much longer than Mimi's, and I didn't want to practically drag him along the floor.

Once we stepped out of the elevator onto the newly-opened third floor, we swiftly made our way to the garden. I hadn't yet had an opportunity to look at this place; it was a shame it was to be at night-time when much of the room would be blanketed in darkness. Nevertheless, I led Mimi to a patch of grass, and we sat down. Immediately, he let go of the ribbon to my disappointment and started pulling items out of the basket. There were candles, a sketchbook, pieces of charcoal, gloves, a lantern, matches and various pieces of crockery. _What on earth is he planning?_ Mimi then set about lighting the lantern very carefully and held it up to his head, illuminating his face with a yellow-orange hue as he looked directly at it. Despite his small stature, the flame’s light made his concentrated expression look almost intimidating in the dark of the garden.

"So, why are we here?" I finally asked, breaking the silence as Mimi worked on organising his items. He stopped fiddling with them to look at me, and my confidence wavered immediately. _How can he have such an effect on me?_

"Four people have died," Mimi replied sombrely, "and we haven't really had time to mourn them properly. I'm not much use in the trials. I can't stand the sight of blood and I struggle with investigating and with thinking logically. I have to keep relying on you for my strength."

"You know I don't mind that," I said firmly, "I really enjoy spending time with you." Behind his mask, I knew that Mimi was smiling widely.

"And I with you, Nishi," he replied, "you make me feel so safe here, despite everything. But I digress - the reason I brought you here was so that I could do something for the others so that we have something to remember the dead by."

"Remember them?"

"I thought," he whispered, "that we could us the expansive space in the garden to set up a communal gravestone for Sanda, Hatanaka, Uehara and Edward. I think Ouji mentioned that there are lots of flowers here, as well as tools in the shed over there. It's not the best gesture, but I wanted to be able to feel like I had done _something._" He went quiet, embarrassed at talking for so long. Mimi didn't say much unless he felt strongly about it, and understandably now was one of those times. I was moved by his determination to not let the memories of our friends be forgotten. _He may be meek, but he never ceases to amaze me_.

"That's a wonderful idea," I said, "I think the others would like that a lot." I wasn't confident my response was genuine as I didn't know how the others would respond to a gravestone that magically appeared during the night, but I didn't want to upset Mimi. Pink patches quickly appeared all over his face as he tried to hide his blush.

"Th-thank you."

"But why did you bring me here?" I asked.

"Well, I think there are some rocks around here that we could use to build a makeshift gravestone, but I'm not very strong," Mimi admitted, "so I thought I could ask you to help with moving them, as you're strong. I brought gloves - your hands won't get dirty or scratched if you wear them to carry the rocks." He added the last part in embarrassment, avoiding making eye contact with me. _He probably doesn't feel comfortable asking anyone else, _I guessed, _and the only other person who is probably strong enough to lift those stones is dead._

"That won't be a problem," I said with a gentle smile, "but talk me through the rest of the items you've brought." Mimi nodded and began explaining.

"The gloves are for protecting our hands when we move the rocks and also for when we dig up the flowers and rearrange them. We can use tools from the shed to do the arrangement of flowers. I brought the candles to help it look prettier in the evenings and at night. I brought the sketchbook and charcoal for you," he said, handing the items over to me.

"What do you want me to do with these?" I asked in surprise. Charcoal, while certainly an artist's tool, was quite an unusual choice.

"You are the Ultimate Tattoo Artist," Mimi began to explain, "so you must be pretty good at drawing. I thought, if you wanted, you could maybe... draw them." He didn't name anyone, but I knew he meant our dead friends. I looked at the charcoal in my hands. There were already small black marks on my palms.

"Alright, I'll do my best. I honestly struggle with realism, that's more Sazzy's style, but I'll do my best. But if my drawings turn out shit, we're not using them," I chuckled, and Mimi let out a little giggle.

"Okay, let's get to work." We started by moving the rocks first, or rather Mimi instructed me on where to move the rocks. He wasn't lying when he said they were heavy; I struggled to move them all, but I didn't want to appear weak in front of him, so I bore the pain in my lower back and, after what seemed like an eternity finally finished constructing our makeshift grave. It consisted of two large flat slates, upon which four pointed stones had been erected into an upright position. These stones represented each of our classmates that had lost their lives to the killing game. Mimi put a candle atop the plates he brought with him and placed them either side of each of the four stones. While he got to work on gathering the flowers for the bouquets, I went to the sketchbook and began to draw. _Now, to draw our friends. Shall I draw them smiling? Sad? Neutral? What would be more appropriate? _Unsure, I decided to instead reflect on the time we had spent with each of the victims. There was Sanda, who had from the very beginning been a snarky, cold and mean-spirited girl. She really pissed me off when she accused me of getting close to Mimi just so I could murder him because he was an easy target. Obviously, I never wanted her to die, but I suppose I was affected the least by her death. But Mimi wanted her to be remembered, even after all the horrible things she had said? I had to admit, he was really something special. I started drawing the lines of her face, and soon a full portrait of Sanda was on the piece of paper, but I couldn't decide how to draw her mouth. I wanted to draw a smile, but I had never seen her do that. _Had she even been able to? If she were still alive, would we have seen her smile?_ I could not imagine it, so I resolved to just draw her face in a neutral expression.

Then there was Hatanaka, Sanda's murderer. His face also seemed a distant memory because we had since lost two more souls after his execution. But unlike Sanda, I will never forget the look of abject horror on his face as he was murdered by Monomenon; such an image will forever be seared into my brain. But then I remembered the way he would grin whenever he saw Ouji; I did not fully understand the nature of their relationship, as they hadn't known each other long enough to be romantically involved. I looked at over Mimi. _I wonder if the others have noticed the way I feel about him._ Almost mindlessly, I sketched Hatanaka's chiselled face as I thought about the Ultimate Pole Dancer. It was true that I had started to develop feelings rather quickly for him, but I was truly unsure whether it was worth pursuing anything while we were locked inside an academy who objective was to make us kill someone. There was also the problem of not knowing if he felt the same way; Mimi is hard to understand, a fact made more challenging by the mask he wears all the time, even when he's eating. He did act more shyly around the others than with me (which I took great pride in); but then again, I would have hoped that after all the time we spent together he would trust me the most. I did feel responsible for his safety. In fact, I promised I would keep him safe no matter what. On the day we discovered Sanda; he was beside himself and it took a lot of comforting for him to face the class trial. I wished so badly that I could just take him in my arms and give the poor guy a hug, but he hated anyone touching him. He never had explained why, but I reasoned he would tell me when he is ready. _Maybe I can bring it up tonight_. I wanted to ask Mimi a lot of things. _Does he feel the same way? Is he even gay? Why won't he trust me completely? What can he be hiding behind his mask?_

"How are the drawings, Nishi?" I snapped out of my thoughts to look at Mimi, who was holding a bunch of white lilies in his right hand, and the lantern in his left. I glanced down at my sketchbook to see that not only had I completed my drawing of Hatanaka, but also of Uehara and Edward. Their faces were staring directly back at me, all smiling in a way that made me think that, if only for a moment, they were thanking me for bringing their likenesses to the paper. I was taken aback by my work. _Had I really drawn all four already?_

"It would seem so," I finally managed to say, "though I must have lost track of time. How long has it been?"

"You were drawing for about two hours. You were so lost in thought that I didn't want to disturb you, but I saw you had stopped drawing and I'm nearly done myself."

"You really spent two hours picking flowers?" I asked doubtfully. Even against the orange glow of the lantern, I could see a pink flush growing on his cheeks.

"I might have dozed off for a little bit," he admitted, "but the lantern went out and the cold woke me up." _I could have kept you warm, Mimi._ "What did you say, Nishi?" My eyes widened. _Had I said that out loud?_

"I said that I could have woken you," I stammered the lie in a panic, "but I was rather engrossed in my art." I held up the sketchbook in front of my face, pretending to show Mimi my drawings when I really just wanted to make hidden my own blush.

"Nishi, those are amazing," he said at an uncharacteristically high volume, "they look so realistic!" My plan failed; I could feel my blush rise all the way up to my forehead. I was used to people complimenting my artwork back at my tattoo parlour. _Why was the same compliment making my heart feel like it was in my throat when it was Mimi saying it?_ Of course, I knew the answer to that question. I knew even as I asked myself.

"Th-thank you," I said, abashed. "Do you think they'll be okay for the grave?"

"They're perfect," Mimi beamed. My face grew hotter still, and I couldn't even use the excuse of having a lantern held to my face.

\---

"There, all done!" Mimi and I stepped back to admire our handiwork, and I had to admit we were pretty good memorial-builders. Each of the erected stones was now decorated almost completely in flowers that Mimi had picked especially for each person. For Sanda, he had chosen some deep red roses, Hatanaka had yellow cosmos, Uehara purple hyacinths and Edward white lilies. He had also filled some pots with soil and water to keep some extra bunches preserved, just in case he had said. I had torn my drawings from the sketchbooks and placed the images as carefully as I could manage against the stones. Overall, we were really pleased with our effort, but we had barely spent a moment appreciating our work when I yawned loudly.

"Wow, I hadn't realised how tired that would make me," I said through my yawns. "What time is it?"

"About two in the morning," Mimi replied, also stretching as I heard a faint yawn from beneath his mask. _Is there anything he does that isn't adorable?_

"Shall we head back?" Mimi shook his head.

"I want to sleep here tonight." I looked at him in shock.

"Here? In the garden? Why?" His gaze turned to his feet.

"I want to be with them tonight..." he trailed off, staring at the embers as they danced by the portraits of our friends, throwing a golden glare across their unblinking eyes.

"Mimi... okay. I'll stay with you," I started, but he held up a hand.

"Nishi, you don't have to-"

"I want to."

"Huh?"

"I made a promise, remember? After we found Sanda, I told you that I would keep you safe. That I wouldn't let any harm come to you."

"You did say that..."

"So, I intend to stay true to that promise. No matter what."

"You're so nice to me, Nishi," he mumbled, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "Nobody has ever cared about me in the way you do. It's... nice." _Nobody?_

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked hesitantly, but as expected he shook his head.

"No," he replied, not even looking at me. His expression darkened as he seemed to think about something. But after a short while, he perked up and looked at me happily. "Thank you for agreeing to stay with me here, Nishi. I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, me too, Mimi," I said, earning a giggle from him as I used his nickname. He reached back into his basket and pulled out two large blankets and laid them out on the nearby grass. "Two blankets?"

"I knew you'd offer to stay with me, so I prepared for that scenario," he chuckled, letting the second blanket fall slowly to the ground next to the first.

"If you knew, why bother asking," I wondered, "did hearing me saying it change anything?" I saw the tips of Mimi’s ears go red.

"N-no, but I didn't want to look the fool if you left me." I laughed and lay down on one of the blankets, my eyes suddenly feeling rather heavy. "Nishi?"

"Yeah? What's up?" Mimi pressed the tips of his fingers together, clearly unsure of what was on his mind.

"Can you tell me a story?"

"You want me to read you a story?" It was an unusual request, but my eagerness to make Mimi happy clouded any confusion. "Did you bring a book with you?"

"No, we're not allowed to take books out of the library."

"Oh yeah. Then, do you want me to tell you a story from my life?" Mimi's eyes suddenly lit up in excitement.

"Yes! I want to hear about the Ultimate Tattoo Artist! Hmm... how about the story of the most memorable tattoo you've ever done?"

"The most interesting tattoo I've ever done, hmm? Well, that would be the one I gave to Sazzy."

"You tattooed your sister? What tattoo does she have?" I didn't respond right away; in truth, I wasn't sure if I wanted to discuss this. "Nishi?"

"Oh, sorry. Got lost there. The story isn't the most pleasant..."

"Does it have to do with the argument you had with her?" I raised my eyebrows. _He sure figured that out quickly._ I nodded.

"You don't have to tell me if-"

"No, it's okay. I bet she's already told someone like Iowa anyway. So, you notice anything unusual about my sister's appearance?" Mimi thought for a moment.

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is her love of pizza, but I suppose that's got nothing to do with pizza... I guess her eyes?"

"Right. Her right eye is blue, while her left is red. The red eye... was my doing."

"You did that?" he squeaked. "But how? You're a tattooist."

"I'm the _Ultimate _Tattoo Artist? What do you think that means exactly?" Mimi pondered my question for another few moments, but then looked at me helplessly. "No ideas? That's okay. Well, in that case, let me tell you the story of how I became the Ultimate Tattoo Artist. Saza and I had always been very artistic, even as children. We were drawing even before we had learned to read and write and were inseparable while doing it. She would finish my pictures for me, and I hers. Eventually our tastes diverged. I was interested in body art and using my own body as canvas, so I turned to the tattoo inks, while Saza became interested in the more academic field of symbols and icons and their hidden meanings, so she took to iconography studies. Our parents were really supportive of both our crafts and bought me my first tattooing kit when I was ten. Obviously, back then it was just washable tattoos that came off the skin after a shower, but I was obsessed with it. At school, I wasn't very attentive and would draw designs on myself in class - as you can imagine, I was quite the troublemaker."

"That doesn't sound like you at all," Mimi giggled, and I smirked.

"Well, that continued for a while. I got the grades I needed to at school, but I never really tried because I knew what I wanted to be: a tattooist. Then, one day, I got an invitation from a local arts college who had heard about the talents of the Yasu twins - they invited us both to study with them, despite the fact that we were only twelve years old."

"You were twelve when you went to college?" Mimi asked in astonishment.

"Yeah. It was really easy for us though; we sailed through our respective courses in tattooing and iconography before graduating at the ages of fifteen. It was during this time that we both started thinking about what we wanted to do with our talents, but it was Saza who had the first breakthrough. She was visited by a representative of the Vatican while studying and it was requested that she use both her talents as an artist and her knowledge of symbology to paint a mural in one of the various cathedrals in Italy. She was so excited I thought she was going to burst. I could not believe that my younger sister was getting to travel around the world for her talent - I was so proud. Our parents, however, were vehemently against the idea of her travelling abroad alone. Things got heated, and Saza stormed out of the house and wasn't seen again in our house for two years. In that time, she travelled the world and earned a name for herself as a travelling muralist and semiotician. Her name became taboo in our house for a long time, so I filled the gaps by tattooing my whole body. I set up my own parlour in my garage and soon had earned enough money to set up my own parlour at seventeen. About two months after I opened, Saza returned.

"A huge row between her and our parents erupted. Our parents believed she had abandoned the family, while Saza was arguing she was just pursuing her talents. The two sides could never settle, so I offered for Saza to stay in my parlour while their relationship mended. It was there that we discussed something that would change the tattooing world forever. Throughout the years we were at college and she was abroad, I became obsessed with taking tattoo artistry to a whole new level, and shortly after my first few months of study, I finally had an idea. Eye tattoos: that is, permanently changing the pigmentation of one's iris. Obviously, such a task wasn't feasible with ink, so I started studying ophthalmology and how I could become the first artist to do this. I confess, the idea consumed me, and I knew that I wouldn't rest until I was able to conduct my first experiments. When Saza came back, I told her of my project and how I was on the verge of a breakthrough - she offered to fund me using the money she had earned from her travels, and we set about setting up an addition to the parlour, now belonging to us both. This addition was a lab designed to help me finalise the details of eye tattoo technologies. Then, I figure it out and created the world's first eye tattoo technology. Then, all that remained was someone to test it on.

"Obviously, I couldn't perform it on myself because only I possessed the technological knowledge to work the machine. Saza then offered herself to be the first test subject. At first, I refused - I couldn't operate on my own sister! But after weeks and weeks of begging, I finally caved, and we agreed to only change one of her eyes at first, and if the operation was a success we would do the other. I asked her what colour she wanted, to which her answer was 'pepperoni.' Typical - even when undergoing life-changing surgery, my sister is always thinking about pizza. We settled on red, because I told pepperoni wasn't a colour. After hours of tense and careful pressure, the operation was complete, but when Saza awoke from her anaesthetic it was clear something was wrong. Her eye had been changed successfully and was now a red colour, but the eye itself was unfocused. Acting on a hunch, I put my hand over her blue eye and asked Saza what she saw, and her response was nothing. I had blinded my sister in her right eye. We went to the hospital and discovered the damage was irreversible.

"That night, in a fit of rage, horror and shame, I destroyed my parlour. It was only because of my parents, who had heard the news of what had happened to Saza and had come to find me, that my parlour did not end up in flames that night. They took me back to the hospital where Saza was recovering and we sat down and discussed it. I couldn't look at her, at what I had done to my sister. My parents were in shock, but bizarrely Saza was the one to calm us all down. She told me that she didn't feel upset at what I had done, she even said that she was happy to know that she could see her new eye with her one functioning eye whenever she looked in a mirror. She said she forgave me, and I broke. I cried and apologised for hours to her, to my parents, to the doctors caring for her. It was all my fault, and even now I still struggle to fight off the guilt that comes every time I see that red eye. Most people don't notice she's partially blind because they're so taken by the vividness of the colour, but I notice. I notice the pain I inflicted on my sister. I am now fiercely protective of her because I could never forgive myself if I let someone hurt her, much in the way I feel about you, Mimi." I turned my head to look at him, only to find that at some point during my storytelling he had fallen asleep. Gentle, quiet snores could be heard as his chest rose and fell. _Why is his _snoring _cute?_ But nonetheless, I smiled. "Was I that boring, huh?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't get an answer. I sat up and wrapped Mimi's blanket around his tiny frame until he looked almost cocooned in it, then lay down on my own blanket again. It didn't take long for my eyes to feel heavy once more, and I quickly succumbed to a night of quiet sleep. The last thing I saw as my eyes closed was the faint golden flicker of the candles against the faces of my fallen friends. It somehow felt like, at that moment, they were watching us from somewhere and smiling.


	26. Unwavering Belief, Unwavering Doubt

Nishi and Mitsumi never came to breakfast.

At first, we thought nothing of it. The bears hadn't yet released another motive to murder, so we all assumed that the two of them were spending time together before breakfast. But after an hour, I noticed that Saza was looking around worriedly for her brother to walk through the entrance. _I heard that twins have a stronger connection than other types of siblings_, I thought, _so can she sense something is wrong?_ It wasn't long before everyone else had noticed Saza's restlessness, but no matter how many times Iowa asked her if she was okay, she said there was nothing wrong. We all grew very concerned and decided to send a message to both Mitsumi and Nishi on our Seiko-pads, but there was no answer. We waited another hour, but it was now after ten and there was still no sign of the boys.

"Shall we go look for them, Saza?" offered Iowa, but the other girl shook her head.

"No need, there'll come. They have to," she said the last part more quietly, as though it was to herself.

"Maybe they're sleeping in," suggested Yoneda, "the two frequently sleep together, right? Uh..." He blushed at the unintended implication of his words. As we contemplated what to do, we heard a voice.

"Morning everyone." We all whirled around to see the tall figure of the Ultimate Tattoo Artist standing in the doorway, looking very dishevelled. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and there were noticeable shadows under his eyes. Behind him, Mitsumi was peering into the room, his appearance matching that of his friend. _What on earth have they been doing_, I asked myself, blushing slightly at the first thought that popped into my head.

"Where have you two been?" screeched Mina, pouting furiously at the two boys. Nishi put his hand to the back of his neck.

"Eh, sorry about worrying you guys," he mumbled, "we were really busy last night, and we slept in."

"Were you up all night in more ways than one, tattoo boy," said Ouji with a wink, making Nishi splutter in response, "did you discover the true talents of an Ultimate Pole Dancer-"

"Ouji," scolded Yoneda, "let's hear their explanation first before kicking in with the full-throttle homoeroticism, please?" Ouji burst into a fit of giggles.

"W-we were s-sleeping in the g-garden," said Mitsumi to everyone's surprise.

"The garden? Wasn't that uncomfortable?" I asked.

"Not really," said Nishi, "Mimi brought us some blankets."

"Nishi! D-don't call m-m that in f-front of the others..."

"You have a pet name for him?" Ouji exclaimed. "That is adorable!"

"I like it!" I added, but Mitsumi merely looked down in embarrassment.

"I... o-only want Nishi t-to call m-me... that," Mitsumi whispered, and we all tried to hold in our amusement as both Nishi and Mitsumi's faces quickly became covered in a bright pink blush.

"Why were you in the garden?" asked Miyagawa, "that's quite a long way to walk in the middle of the night just to sleep."

"Mi...tsumi asked me for some help with something."

"I h-had some b-big l-loads I n-needed Nishi to h-handle," Mitsumi explained, and Ouji couldn't contain herself any longer. She began to roar with laughter as the rest of us used all of our willpower to not laugh or smile with her as her giggling threatened to become very infectious. "D-did I say something?"

"Nothing at all," said Nishi hurriedly, his face now a dangerous hue of red. "What Mitsumi meant was that he needed my assistance in transporting some items."

"You're going to have explain that in more detail," Tokunaga chuckled.

"Well, we uh..."

"Hold on a moment," interrupted Morino sternly.

"What's wrong, Morino?" asked Yoneda.

"Has nobody noticed the biggest problem with these two being here?" We were all silent. _What was he talking about? A problem with them being here?_

"What's the big idea, Morino," demanded Saza, "why have you suddenly taken issue with my brother?"

"He shouldn't be alive. Nor should Mitsumi." We were stunned.

"What did you just say?" squeaked Iowa.

"Wait g-guys," interjected Mitsumi, sensing a rising tension in the air, "he's right!"

"What?" Nishi turned to the shorter boy in shock.

"R-remember the rules? They s-say we're not a-allowed to sleep in a room that's not our dormitories." I gasped. Upon remembering the rule, I realised that technically Mitsumi and Nishi should have been executed by Monomenon; that was the punishment for not following the rules. _So how were they alive?_

"Mitsumi - you knew this? And you still let me fall asleep? You took a nap!" Nishi cried in horror. But Mitsumi just smiled with his eyes.

"No. I knew w-we wouldn't b-be executed. I t-took that n-nap to t-t-test the bears," Mitsumi began to explain, but then we were interrupted by the bears in question. They looked as angry as stuffed animals could look as they fell through the ceiling.

"Mitsumi Romi! How dare you!" Monomenon screeched as he waddled towards the group. Nishi stood defensively in front of his friend, who cowered at the sudden change in Monomenon's attitude.

"Stay away from him, you bastard!" growled Nishi. "You touch him, and I will destroy you!"

"Why, because you're jealous that I can touch him and you can't?" shouted the executioner, raising his paws to reveal three, foot-long bladed claws on each.

"Monomenon, that's enough," ordered Monoworth sternly, "you cannot execute those boys." Without a moment's hesitation, Monomenon's claws retracted and he returned to Monoworth's side silently like an obedient pet.

"What's going on?" Iowa asked. "Why were you attacking Mitsumi?"

"Not just him, but also Nishi," replied Monoworth. "The truth is, that boy found a loophole in one of the school rules, and he requested an audience with me to discuss it. I had yet to inform Monomenon of this, which is why he went to execute them just now." Nishi paled.

"Execute?"

"What's the loophole?" I asked, desperate to not dwell on the would-be fates of two of our friends so soon after a class trial. Mitsumi stepped out from behind Nishi and cleared his throat.

"It s-says that f-falling asleep in a r-room that isn't a dormitory is p-p-punishable by execution," he began, "but t-technically a g-garden isn't a room. It's an o-open area. You c-can even ask Yoneda, he knows w-words better than a-anyone." We all turned to Yoneda, who adjusted his glasses in an attempt to hide his blush.

"I guess he's not wrong," Yoneda admitted, "technically speaking, a garden is defined as a patch of land adjacent to a house for cultivating grass, crops or flowers. It would make sense that a garden isn't defined as a room..."

"S-so you s-see," continued Mitsumi, "a g-garden isn't specifically a r-room, so sleeping there i-isn't against the r-rules."

"Mr Romi spoke with me about this, and I had to concede that the rule wasn't specific enough, so I allowed him to sleep in the garden with Mr Yasu. But now I am here, I am changing the rule, so please check your Seiko-pads." We all did as he asked and, as he had said, the rule was now different:

_Sleeping anywhere within the walls of the Seiko Academy that is not a dormitory is forbidden. Failure to follow this rule will result in punishment._

"So, you hadn't thought of everything," commented Miyagawa with a smirk, "what a pitiful excuse of a mastermind."

"And yet," retorted Monoworth unflinchingly, "four of you have died. When all is said and done, I have succeeded far more than you petulant children. And I can guarantee that more of you will fall victim to my game, sooner or later. I'm a patient headmaster, as you'll soon discover. One day, one of you will cave and murder another." Miyagawa was silent. I nudged him with my elbow but he did not react.

"You're wrong." I turned to Saza, who had taken a step forward to face the bears.

"Excuse me?"

"Nobody else is going to die," she said, shaking her head, "there won't be any more deaths."

"And how do you know this?" cackled Monomenon.

"I believe in my big bro, and I believe in Iowa and all my friends."

"Belief? Well, _I _happen to believe that one of you will murder on of your so-called friends. Let's see who's belief is stronger, shall we?" Before Saza could respond, the two bears were lifted away, and we were left to contemplate their departing words. _Did I believe that there wasn't going to be another murder? _As much I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to believe Saza. The killing game had already driven a prince of an entire country to commit murder; Edward was perhaps one of the most strongly-willed people I had ever met, and even he gave in to the pressure. If the bears could manipulate even him, I doubted the rest of us would stand much of a chance. _But could I do it? Could I kill someone?_ The academy was certainly equipped to help me follow through with those troubling thoughts, but before I could process them further Mitsumi spoke up.

"E-everyone, d-don't l-listen to the b-b-bears," he stammered, "n-now that w-we know the bears are v-vulnerable, we d-don't have to be so s-scared anymore."

"You're right, Mitsumi," agreed Tokunaga, "you found a flaw in their perfect game. We will beat them, and remember who we left on the way." We all cheered and laughed at our little victory, but for me it was bittersweet. I still could not shake the horrible feeling that bloodshed was imminent, and I felt sick to my stomach. I felt a nudge against my elbow and looked up to see Miyagawa looking at me with a concerned expression. He mouth the questions "what's wrong" at me, but I shook my head and smiled weakly. It was clear he wasn't convinced, but he didn't push the matter. Instead, he looked at Mitsumi, who had begun to speak again.

"Nishi and I have p-prepared something for y-you all in the g-g-garden," he was saying.

"It was all Mitsumi's idea," Nishi added hurriedly, "I just helped him make it."

"But what is it?" asked Ouji curiously.

"It will b-be easier to show y-you," Mitsumi said. He turned on the balls of his feet and bounded away excitedly, the most excited I had ever seen him. Nishi called out for him to wait for everyone else and we all followed behind. As we were moving, Miyagawa walked to my side and began whispering to me.

"You don't seem too happy," he stated, but he meant it as a question. I sighed.

"Do you think there will be any more murders?" Miyagawa's eyes widened at my question, perhaps because he wasn't expecting it. But he paused in thought for a few moments before replying.

"I want to believe in our friends," he finally said, "but I am conscientious that those bears will stop at nothing until another killing happens. So, I guess I believe in both sides."

"Both sides?"

"Yes. I believe that nobody among us wants to commit murder, but I also believe that one of us will be forced to under a great amount of stress from the ones who trapped us here. Do you believe in your friends, Ori?" Now it was his turn to catch me off-guard with his question.

"I don't know," I admitted. _What was holding me back? Why didn't I trust my friends? Had my talent made me doubt that we would be so fortunate to avoid another murder for the rest of our lives in the academy?_ The questions plagued me as we made our way onto the elevator. As we ascended, I though the screeching of the gears sounded like crying, as though the building itself was trying to signal me a warning.

\---

"You guys _made_ this?" Mina bellowed in awe as we entered the garden. Despite my many anxieties, I had to admit that the boys' creation was a very welcome distraction. What I found most striking were the portraits that were positioned against the stones that had been collected. The likeness was startling, and I felt a weird sensation bubbling as I recalled the visions of each of their bodies as they were taken away from us. I was distraught that our friends were now just portraits laid against cold stone, but there was something oddly comforting about how well-drawn they were, as though a fragment of their soul still remained.

"Aren't the d-drawings a-a-amazing?" said Mitsumi proudly. "Nishi drew them." The taller boy blushed furiously and mumbled something about them not being that good.

"Well, well, I never thought my brother would do realism," said Saza, marvelling his work, "excellent work, Nishi. But why did you two make this?"

"It was Mitsumi's idea," Nishi began to explain as his reddened cheeks began to fade, "he wanted to help us never forget the losses we've faced when we beat this killing game."

"I w-want to r-remember the guys who d-died," he murmured, a sad expression evident in his eyes, "s-so I asked Nishi to help m-me make a g-gravestone. I hope you g-guys d-don't mind. We can t-t-take it d-down if-"

"I think it's perfect," said a smiling Tokunaga and we all quickly agreed, making both boys bashfully stare at the ground.

"I have an idea," exclaimed Iowa suddenly and excitedly, "why don't we have a picnic here, in the garden? That way, we can have a commemorative lunch with _all _of our friends." We all cheerfully acquiesced to the suggestions and it did not take long for us to finish our preparations; some of us went to retrieve blankets, crockery, and supplies from the storeroom, while Iowa, Saza and to my surprise Tokunaga were the chosen chefs. He explained that in every Italian there is a talented chef, so I waited in anticipation to see what he would make. As we all bustled around the academy, all thoughts of my earlier conversation with Miyagawa vanished.

One hour later we were all sat in a circle, munching away at various treats and snacks that Iowa, Saza and Tokunaga had prepared. I was astonished to learn that the plates at the centre of the banquet, which were all presenting mouth-watering tarts and cakes, were prepared by Tokunaga.

"Oh my goodness," shouted Saza suddenly, her mouth full of peach tart, "these are amazing, Tokunaga! Why did you hide your baking skills for so long?" Tokunaga chuckled at the praise.

"Well, it's clear I like eating them, so why wouldn't I learn how to cook them? My _nonnina _taught me how to bake when I was a child, so when I was taking a break from my performances I would bake."

"I'm certainly happy that you can make them," grumbled Iowa, "now I can rely on someone else to make desserts while I fight with _this one_ about how many layers of cheese should go in a cheese sandwich." She moved her head to indicate she was talking about Saza, who only beamed at her friend.

"I'm telling you, three layers is the _minimum_."

"Has she always been like this, Nishi?" Iowa asked, a small smile on her lips as she watched Saza reach for another peach tart.

"I'm afraid so," admitted Nishi with a knowing look, slapping Saza's hand away from going for a third treat, much to her annoyance.

"You guys act like I'm a criminal, the way you talk about my love of cheese. I bet everyone else likes cheese, right Mina?" There was no response. We all turned to where Mina had been sitting, but she wasn't there. Instead she had moved over to the gravestone, which was about twenty feet away from us. She was sitting in front of the portrait of Uehara. She wasn't eating much, but she had a plate of food at her side, pieces of which she would occasionally pick up and hold by the portrait before popping them into her mouth.

"Is she... pretending to feed Uehara?" Morihei asked worriedly. I shook my head.

"I think she's sharing her food," I said, "those two did everything together, after all. I think she's trying to cope and stay strong for Uehara's sake; this must be how she's decided to do that."

"The poor thing," whispered Morhei, "I can't imagine how that whole ordeal was for her."

"She'll pull through," said Ouji, "I know how she must be feeling right now. It's really hard, but we're all really lucky to have one another here."

"We really are," agreed Miyagawa, looking directly at me as he spoke. I flushed and turned my attention to the peach tart that had been abandoned by the Yasu twins. But before I could experience the sweetness of the Ultimate Operatic Performer's baking, the picnic was soured by the arrival of two new attendees. From the ceiling came a whirring sound and Monoworth and Monomenon fell to ground with a loud thump.

"Why do you guys keep turning up when we're trying to spend time together?" groaned Yoneda, his tone immediately angry.

"Why do you guys keep insisting on not inviting us to one of your orgies?" growled Monomenon in response. "I'll have you know, I am a bear whose equipment is disproportionately large compared to my short stature. You may have heard of bareback, but what about bear-"

"Why are you here?" Ouji demanded.

"You're not interested, Ouji," Monomenon taunted, "I see how it is. You'll fuck a murderous builder, but not your glamorous bear assistant. How disappointing."

"You... how dare you talk about him that way!" Ouji shouted furiously, but Morihei put her arm in front of her defensively.

"She asked a question," stated Morino flatly, "one I think you should be answering."

"One I think you should be answering," Monomenon repeated mockingly. "Geez, you're awfully talkative now! Did you finally make friends? Or did you learn what your talent was? Oh, who am I kidding- of _course_ you don't know what your talent is!" Morino didn't even react, he just folded his arms and asked the bears to answer Ouji's question.

"The reason we came here," began Monoworth, "is that we have decided to slightly alter your next motive, which we will now be presenting to you now." My heart fell. _Another motive, so soon after we had Edward's trial?_

"Why? Why do you keep doing this to us?" Iowa cried.

"Because this is a game," said Morino.

"Huh?"

"They're not going to stop presenting us with motives, that's how they run this game. But we can beat them at their own game."

"Oh, mister no-talent has an idea, does he?" giggled Monomenon.

"You may not stop, but that doesn't mean we won't."

"I don't follow, Morino," I said.

"What if we simply stop playing? They present a motive, we ignore it." Some of us nodded in agreement, but I was hesitant. _Was a solution to the game really that simple? _As if reading my mind, Monoworth spoke.

"Well, you're forgetting one thing, master Yoshimatsu. Your classmates are humans, and humans are flawed creatures. They cling to values, emotions and relationships like their life depends on them. That's why my games always succeed. To beat me, you have to give up on your humanity, but what can people with no humanity do? They can commit murders. No matter what little stratagems you conjure, I will win. I have won this game almost one hundred times. Your cohort is no different."

"Then there's only one way to test your game," said Miyagawa, "we'll fight against your motive and win the game. We're all going to escape together, and give our friends a proper memorial when we do!"

"How defiantly noble of you, Mr Hitomaru," replied Monoworth. "Very well, here is your motive. Monomenon."

"Without further adieu," cheered the second bear, "here is your new and improved motive!" He held out a key in his paw.

"A key? Does this mean what I think it means?" Saza asked hopefully.

"No, it's not a key to the front door of the school," answered Monomenon, "it's the key to the metal cabinet in the science laboratory."

"Why would that be a motive to murder?"

"The key itself isn't the motive, but what's inside the cabinet may be of some use to you. There are documents inside that detail how to escape from the academy." I gasped. _So, there is a way to escape?_

"So, are you saying that if we kill someone and survive the trial, the killer gets the key and can escape?" I asked, but Tokunaga jumped into the conversation.

"That wouldn't make any sense," he said, "because if a killer survives a trial, they get to escape anyway, rendering the key useless. There must be a catch."

"Wow, I've never heard a tub of lard speak before," cried Monomenon is mock fear, "you must be really intelligent."

"Tokunaga is far more intelligent than a coward who hides behind a robotic toy," shouted Yoneda defensively.

"It's okay, _amico_. But I want to hear what the bears say."

"It's just as the fatty says," confirmed Monomenon, making Yoneda bristle with silent rage as he continued to insult Tokunaga, "this key is not a reward for surviving a class trial. I'm going to give this key to one of the students at random, and only they will be permitted to use the knowledge in the laboratory. But, this is where the motive gets interesting; if that student is killed, whoever kills them gets the key and can therefore escape. We will only permit one student to escape, and that student will be the one who has the key. After a period of twenty-four hours, whichever student is in possession of the key after the twenty-four period will be given unique access to the escape route. The other students will remain here and continue to play the killing game."

"What if the person with the key gave it to another student, instead of being killed?" Tokunaga asked.

"The original recipient of the key would still be considered the owner, and the classmate that they gave the key to would not have been able to escape," sneered Monomenon. "You really think we wouldn't lock the escape route away to just _anyone? _You should know by now that we're sticklers for the rules!"

"That's still flawed though," insisted Tokunaga, "because if the student who first receives the key escapes, they could just go and get help and rescue the others."

"That's right."

"But... doesn't that worry you at all?" Morino questioned the bears in surprise. "If the killing game is discovered here then it's over for you."

"Then let me ask you this: how do you know you can trust everyone here?" Monomenon said menacingly.

"What are you talking about? We're all friends here," said Nishi.

"But what if I told you all that someone here lied during the last class trial? What if I told you that there's a traitor among you all?" My body felt like ice. I glanced nervously at Yoneda, who returned the worried gaze. We had discussed that word - traitor - beforehand, but to think that Yoneda's theory was true...

"What? A traitor? I don't believe you," shouted Saza.

"You guys sure talk about belief a lot," groaned Monomenon, "but who are you going to believe: your friends, or two bears who see everything that's happening at all times? We _know _that one of you lied during that trial, but how do _you _know that I won't give that key to the traitor? And if I do, do you believe that they will really come and rescue a group of people they don't care about?"

"That's... there's no way..." Saza's voice trailed, and the executioner cackled.

"You see? Mere seconds have passed since I revealed this news and you're already doubting your friends! Where's that precious belief you cared so much about now?"

"We all made a promise not to commit any more murders," I cried, "you really expect us to distrust each other so easily?"

"We expect exactly that," replied Monoworth, making me flinch.

"What?"

"Are you willing to risk letting someone who won't save you escape? And if the traitor isn't given the key, will they kill to escape and leave you all behind? Who can you trust?" As Monoworth finished his last question, both he and Monomenon were suddenly lifted into the ceiling before anyone could demand more information. Instead, we were left with a heavy atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. One of us was working against the group, lying to the faces of their so-called friends and was now potentially going to leave the academy with no consequence for their treacherous actions.

"What should we do?" asked Iowa tearfully.

"One of us lied in the last trial? What does that mean?" the question came from Ouji, who bore an equally concerned expression.

"Maybe someone was a witness to what happened between Uehara and Edward," suggested Yoneda, "and they didn't come forward when we asked if anyone was on the second floor that night. But realistically, there's no way of knowing what the lie was."

"B-but isn't it p-p-possible the b-bears are l-lying?" queried Mitsumi hopefully, but no one could find it within themselves to agree wholeheartedly with him. The seed of doubt had been sowed into our minds, and was liable to give way to unbearable tension as our doubts inevitably worsened. _The bears don't care about the key, _I told myself, _they just want another killing. Don't let them fool you._ However, then I thought of the opportunity to be free, and using that opportunity to save everyone. I wasn't the traitor, so I knew I could do it. Then I realised that that was exactly what the bears wanted. They wanted the students who knew they weren't the traitor to eagerly offer to escape and get help for the others; they would automatically be the most suspicious, and a fight would ensue. Similarly, even if I revealed my realisation to the group, they would doubt me because they'd think I was only saying that to get myself to safety. The bears had surrounded us psychologically, regardless of whether the existence of a traitor was true or not. They had already won before we even had a chance to fight back.

That evening, I went to bed with a clouded mind. Tonight, someone would receive the key to that cabinet and be able to learn the secret to escaping. I could not understand how learning who had the key would lead to murder, but then I remembered what Miyagawa had asked me earlier that day: do I believe in my friends? _I can't believe in them_, I said, tears falling from my eyes as I tried to succumb to my nightmares, _every time I believe, someone dies. _But it did not matter whether I believed or not; the killing game was indiscriminate and did not care whether I had unwavering belief or unwavering doubt. My friends were going to die until the killing game was complete and it was only a matter of time before I became a victim myself. _I'm __going to die. Miyagawa's going to die. Morihei, Yoneda, Morino, everyone. We're all going to die. That's what I believe in. How can I believe in anything else?_

The next day, my beliefs were about to be realised in the most horrifying way, and the killing game was no longer a fight against the mastermind, it was now a fight against ourselves. The walls of Seiko Academy would be painted with more bloodshed.


	27. Vermilion Seas

I barely slept a wink. It seemed like every passing moment in this academy was a harbinger of innumerable, turbulent thought, and those thoughts stopped me from falling victim to my fatigue. I was so very tired, but I was scared. I was scared that if I dared close my eyes, they may never open again. Now that we knew that there was a traitor in our midst, my anxieties had skyrocketed. One of you is a traitor. One of you lied during the last class trial. The truth was, I knew someone had lied during the last class trial; Miyagawa had lied to protect me from suspicion. _Could he be the traitor? But why would protecting me betray the group?_ Then there was the other student who I know had lied at least once during the trials. Morino had hidden the fact that he had found Sanda's video camera that had recorded her murder, a fact which also made him a likely candidate to be the one working against the group. However, I just couldn't understand why anyone would want to support a group bent on killing innocent teenagers, and destroying completely those that survived.

Turning onto my side, I reached over to my bedside table and turned on my Seiko-pad to check the time. Six in the morning. I groaned at how early it was and turned over again, but after another hour of restlessness I decided to give up and head to the cafeteria. I sleepily made my way over to the kitchen and poured myself a deep mug of coffee and waited for the inevitable arrival of Iowa. I did not have to wait long.

"No sleep?" I heard her calm voice come from the entrance to the cafeteria. I lazily peered over the top of my coffee mug to look at her. Like me, dark circles were evident underneath Iowa's eyes.

"Yeah," I mumbled groggily, "no sleep." Iowa quietly walked past me and into the kitchen. I think she asked me if I wanted anything to eat, but I didn't pay attention. The thoughts that had been keeping me awake had now returned and were making my anxious nervous grip on the mug tighten. I barely noticed the pain the heat was inflicting on me.

"Ori, why are you gripping that cup so harshly? It might shatter." I hadn't realised I had closed my eyes tightly shut, but when I opened them I saw Iowa's concerned face. She was holding a plate stacked with a few buttered croissants in front of me.

"Sorry. I'm just feeling uneasy after yesterday."

"Don't apologise," she said with a sad smile. She then placed the food on the table in front of me. "Here, you need your energy. Coffee isn't a meal." I waited until she had returned to the kitchen before taking a bite. I didn't want her to see how ravenous I was; I scoffed the first croissant in seconds, and the second and third soon disappeared after it. I licked my lips in satisfaction and put both my hands around the mug of coffee again. This time, the heat felt comforting. Iowa then came back into the cafeteria and sat in the chair directly opposite to me.

"I don't think I have ever thanked you for making meals for everyone, Iowa," I said, breaking the uncertain silence. The Ultimate Chocolatier shrugged.

"There's no need for thanks, it was something I offered to do for everyone," she replied. "Mina wanted to help this morning, so Ouji and I agreed to show her how to cook yesterday afternoon."

"So, are they coming here?" I asked, but Iowa shook her head.

"Ouji isn't feeling very well. She has a really bad headache, and I think Mina has slept in because I still haven't had a response to my messages. In any case it's no concern whether they come or not, cooking has become easier since..." She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she was going to say. Now that four of us were gone, we had less people to worry about. But the worries, the doubt and fear grew inversely to the number of living students. We were all terrified, and we knew we were. No matter how many benevolent gestures, group activities and laughs we had, the bears were always there to remind us that they wanted us dead. My reverie was abruptly broken by an apologetic shout.

"Iowa!" Mina cried as she burst through the door, half-dressed and her hair sticking up in a weird pyramid-like shape. "I am so sorry, I slept in! Have you started cooking? Is there anything you need me for? And - oh... hi, Ori!" She waved enthusiastically at us both and ran over, giving us gripping embraces. She did smell a bit like sawdust, but I didn't say anything and just crinkled my nose.

"Good morning, Mina," said Iowa, "are you finally ready to help me with cooking breakfast for everyone?"

"Yes!" Mina cried happily. "What are we making?"

"Well, to begin with, I think we should make..." Iowa listed a long itinerary of various dishes and beverages to prepare for our friends. Iowa had perfectly memorised everyone's preferences, and as such she told Mina that they would have to prepare everything on that list in one hour. Mina visibly paled.

"We have to do all of that?" she screeched, but Iowa laughed.

"It will be fun," she chuckled, then paused in thought for a moment, "how about we consider it a quest?"

"A quest," Mina hummed, tilting her head to the side a little. Then, she caught wind of what Iowa was referring to, and beamed. "Yes, a quest! Alright, let's do this, Iowa! You better not let me down!" We all chortled.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"But won't Ori be lonely?" Mina asked, frowning.

"I don't think so," replied Iowa, "someone's just arrived in the nick of time to entertain her." I looked behind me to see the tall frame of Miyagawa walking towards us. Annoyingly, he looked perfect like always, his hair and clothes styled with precision. _As expected of the Ultimate Appraiser, but does he ever wear casual clothes?_

"Good morning, girls," he greeted us cheerfully, "only a few of us today?" Iowa explained that only Ouji was accounted for as she was unwell. "So, the others are coming later."

"Which means," concluded Iowa, "that Mina and I need to go to the kitchen and start preparing. Come on, Mina!" The two practically skipped away, leaving me with Miyagawa.

"How are you feeling?" he immediately asked, genuine concern on his face. I hid my blush behind my coffee.

"Tired," I said, "I barely slept last night. I couldn't stop thinking about the motive."

"Yeah," agreed Miyagawa solemnly, "it's not the best news. I just pray we can all believe in one another and beat it." I was silent, and he looked at me quizzically. "What's with the distrusting expression?"

"Nothing," I said hastily.

"It's okay, you can tell me, Ori," he smiled warmly as he spoke.

"Do you remember what the bears said about the motive? About the traitor's identity?" Realisation flashed across Miyagawa's face.

"You're referring to the fact that I lied in the last trial, a trait shared with the one working against us. I see - you don't trust me anymore," his tone changed to cold in an instant, and I could see his hurt and disappointment at my suggestion.

"It's not that," I stuttered, "but-"

"Don't lie, Ori," he spat, "we already had this discussion. You don't believe in your friends, and now you are even more suspicious of them. I lied to save your skin, and now I'm the bad guy."

"Miyagawa," I pleaded in a hushed tone, eager not to let Mina and Iowa hear us, "it's not like that!"

"Then what is your problem?" he demanded. "You're the girl who has saved our lives twice now because you solved the trials, and you still choose to doubt us, to doubt me. What will it take for you to believe?"

"I don't know!" I said as loud as I dared. "I don't know what I'm thinking. I can't be sure if you're the traitor or not - you could have just lied to make me think you couldn't be the traitor. But I know just as well that you do genuinely care about me and that you want to protect me, but..."

"But what?" he replied angrily. "What more can I do to make it clear to you that I care about you, Ori? I would be destroyed if anything happened to you, especially if I couldn't be there to save you because you were avoiding me at every juncture out of scepticism. Do you even hear yourself?" My face grew hot with shame and I averted my gaze. I knew he was right, but there was a foul pain in the back of my head that made me doubt him still. I was so conflicted. _I'm a horrible friend. How could I think he's the traitor? He saved my life, and this is how I repay him? Maybe it'd be better if I were-_

"Are you two having another lover's squabble?" Saza called from the entrance. My conversation with Miyagawa ended instantly, and he feigned a smile at Saza as she strode over. His eyes, on the other hand, betrayed the heavy pain that I had caused. I fought back tears and also faked my best smile.

"You know us too well," joked Miyagawa. "Have you seen any of the others on your way here? Only Mina, Iowa, Ori and I have come to breakfast so far." Saza nodded.

"I saw big bro and his 'Mimi' in the corridor," she giggled, "they were heading to the third floor to check on their gravestone. I think Mitsumi was worried about the candles completely melting, and my brother is going to follow that boy wherever he goes."

"But no sign of Morihei, Yoneda, Tokunaga or Morino?" I asked. She shook her head. Once again, as was the case every time members of our class were late to breakfast, an uneasy filling started bubbling in my stomach, and I started to feel light-headed. I tried to resist the sensation, but the uneasiness had lodged itself in my throat and before I could process what was happening, I vomited. The mess mixed with my coffee as I lurched at the mug.

"Oh my goodness, Ori!" Saza exclaimed as she rushed behind me to stroke my back. I distinctly noted that she told Miyagawa to fetch some towels while Mina and Iowa rushed back in to see what the commotion was.

"Ori! What happened?" cried Mina.

"She's just a little unwell," Saza reassured her, "but can you fetch a bucket? This mug won't catch it all." For a few minutes, Saza rubbed my back encouragingly as I spewed into the bucket the other girls brought for me. She, Iowa, Mina and Miyagawa were obviously very concerned and asked what was wrong, but every time I tried to find the words a new wave of bile rose to my throat and I continued to hurl. Once there was nothing left, I clutched my stomach miserably in agony.

"Miyagawa, can you take Ori to her room," asked Iowa worriedly, and Miyagawa nodded. "I'll clean the bucket and bring a new one to you in a few minutes. Be gentle with her." Miyagawa walked over and I pathetically outstretched my arms to him as he lifted me carefully, his arms supporting my lower back and knees. He was carrying me in the way a groom does with his new bride, but the occasion for Miyagawa holding me couldn't have been any less glamorous. He took me to my dormitory, cautious not to upset my weak stomach. On the way, we were met with a unusual sight. Yoneda was stood at the entrance to one of the dormitories, knocking loudly and repeatedly on its door.

"Yoneda, stop with that racket," Miyagawa ordered. The bespectacled boy stopped and turned in surprise to us both, but then frowned deeply.

"What happened? Is Ori okay?" he asked fretfully. I closed my eyes, the fatigue from sleep deprivation and vomiting slowly overwhelming me.

"Clearly not, Yoneda," I heard Miyagawa say, "but could you help? I can't open the door to her room." Yoneda agreed and eventually I heard some sounds, some voices and then felt a soft mattress beneath me.

"She's going to be okay, right?" I heard someone ask. It sounded like Yoneda's voice.

"She just needs rest. Iowa is going to come by later, but for now we should leave Ori be. So, why were you standing in the corridor like that?"

"You see..." I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Too weary to focus, I fell asleep.

\---

I woke up to the sound of an alarm sounding, and I subconsciously reached to my bedside table for an alarm clock that wasn't there. Confused, I rubbed my eyes and noticed the sound was blaring from the ceiling. _The ceiling?_ I pulled myself off my bed and paced around my room, attempting to locate the source of the noise and a way to stop it. Suddenly, it stopped, and a chilling voice echoed throughout my room. Time seemed to freeze.

"Goodness me, students," came the haunting voice of our ursine executioner, "it seems something very bad has happened on the third floor... I wonder what could have transpired there. Maybe you should all gather there to find out." There was a clicking sound and my room was enveloped in silence, but there was a dull humming in my head as I tried to process the information. _Something awful...? He doesn't mean... someone else has been... no, not again!_ Determined to prove myself wrong, I bolted out of my room and made straight for the elevator, where I bumped into a panicked Yoneda.

"Ori, you're awake!" he cried happily, though his eyes shone with grief.

"What's happened?"

"I don't know," he muttered, "at least, I have a feeling I know what has happened but..." He didn't finish his sentence as we were interrupted by the creaking of the elevator as it arrived at the first floor. We hurried inside and I practically hammered the button to the third floor with my fist. Yoneda and I ascended in the darkness in total silence.

"Please," I whispered to myself, "please let everyone be alive. I don't want any more deaths." The elevator stopped, but we were only at the second floor. It was then that Iowa, Sanda and Mina stepped into the cage, shocked to see Yoneda and I.

"Ori? How are you feeling?" questioned Iowa immediately, pressing her hand to my forehead and fussing over me. I shooed her away.

"That's not important right now," I muttered, "do you guys know what has happened on the third floor?" All three of them shook their head, but they all glanced at one another knowingly. They must have thought I hadn't noticed, but I had. I didn't press them on the matter, but when the mechanisms of the elevator began to whir and screech, I turned to Yoneda who was stood sheepishly in the corner and wringing his hands nervously.

"What do they know? What's going on, Yoneda?" I demanded. He sighed and looked up at me.

"Nobody has seen Tokunaga all day," he whimpered, "I was knocking on his door for ages today trying to get him to come out, but I didn't hear anything." A knot tied itself in my stomach.

"You don't think he's been..." I began, but Yoneda shook his head.

"I don't know what to think," he admitted, "part of me secretly wishes he was the student with the key. The deadline for the motive timer passed while you were sleeping, so my first instinct is that he has escaped from the academy. After Miyagawa and I left your room, we notified the others at breakfast that he was missing, so we decided to search the academy for him. As far as I know, nobody has found him, but then Monomenon spoke over the intercom and now I'm not so sure." I hummed pensively, unsure what to think myself. If Tokunaga was missing, then that meant one of three things; either the bad news that Monomenon spoke of was about the Ultimate Operatic Performer, Tokunaga was the original recipient of the key and had escaped or Tokunaga was the traitor, had acquired the key and escaped. I desperately hoped that my second assumption was the correct one, but my talent was Ultimate Extreme Luck. There was no chance I could accurately predict the outcome.

"If he has escaped, he is bound to be noticed," I said in an attempt to reassure Yoneda, who was now biting his lip so hard I feared he might bleed. "Tokunaga is a world-famous opera singer. If he has escaped, traitor or not, then someone will ask why he is out of the academy so soon after entering. I am sure he is fine, Yoneda." He didn't say anything for a short while, but then he smiled widely at me.

"Thank you, Ori. We have nothing to fear, Tokunaga will be fine." I smiled back, but I hastily turned my face away so that Yoneda couldn't see the tears welling in my eyes. _Please don't thank me yet, Yoneda_, I thought,_ because you know as well as I that someone has probably been murdered._ I didn't want to think that way, but the nausea was unshakable. All I could do was wait for the horrible truth to open its maw and devour me. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elevator ground to a halt and its doors slowly revealed the third-floor corridor to us. In an instant I was awash with a dreadful feeling, one I recognised from the time I discovered Uehara's corpse and the unconscious Mina in the games room. As soon as I stepped foot into that corridor, I knew that a similar encounter was lingering somewhere nearby. I gulped.

"Shall we go?" Mina asked tentatively. We all agreed, but I wanted to turn back, go back into the elevator and forget I ever heard Monomenon's announcement. However, doing that would mean not facing the truth. And so, we uneasily walked along the corridor, making a turn towards the garden and Classroom 3-A. It was there that we saw Mitsumi, looking at the floor outside the entrance to the forbidden classroom. His back was turned to us.

"Mitsumi, what are you doing?" I asked as we approached him. He turned around so fast I thought for a moment we had caught him doing something he shouldn't have been, but then I saw his face. He was completely crestfallen, his face as white as a sheet and his cheeks stained red from a copious amount of crying. This alone confirmed my one single fear, but then I saw that the door to the classroom was open.

"What's happened?" I shouted, panicked.

"Is it Tokunaga?" asked Yoneda immediately, but Mitsumi didn't respond. He just started sobbing loudly. Without waiting, Yoneda stormed past him and entered the classroom and I followed closely behind with the determination to answer my questions, even if I knew them already. But when I took in the scene, that determination shattered into a million pieces and manifested itself into a scream of bewilderment and terror. Classroom 3-A, decorated with broken furniture and maroon spatters of aged blood had now taken on a different appearance. Maroon was now mixed with bright red. _Fresh blood._ However, I wasn't screaming because of the blood, but rather its source. I had been expecting to see the corpse of Tokunaga. _So why was this happening?_

In the centre of the room, the tall frames of Miyagawa and Nishi could be seen, quivering with devastation as they too tried to come to terms with the gruesome spectacle in front of them. On the floor, crumpled in a heap was the unmistakable and lifeless body of Ouji Bunjiro, the Ultimate Naturalist.

"What... Ouji?" Yoneda yelled, his voice cracking. His cry alerted the other two boys to our presence. I noticed that Miyagawa in particular was swaying on his feet slightly, as though his legs were going to give out beneath him at any moment.

"Why is she... what happened?" I wailed, falling to my knees as my eyes stung with fresh tears. "I can't believe that Ouji's been killed!"

"But where is he?" asked Yoneda, trying his best fix his gaze on anything but her cadaver. "Where's Tokunaga?"

"What's going on?" Morino's voice was heard behind us and I turned around from my position on the ground. His golden eyes landed on the ghastly sight of Ouji's body. They opened slightly in surprise, but he maintained a calm composure. "Ouji has been killed."

"Ouji!" Mina shouted as she, Saza, Morihei and Iowa entered the room. Without a second thought, Mina sprinted over to Ouji and knelt down besides her. "No, this can't be... Ouji, you can't die! We were all going to survive together, Ouji, you promised! You promised!" Mina's screams echoed around the room, but no one dared stop her. We were all heartbroken. Ouji, perhaps one of the kindest people I had ever met, who had endured so much and stayed strong for the others despite it all, had been murdered. As I watched Mina sob uncontrollably over Ouji's body, I noticed that a large cloth had been laid over Ouji's head. Large, crimson splotches had already begun to soak into the fibres, and then I noticed the other peculiar item in the room. About two feet away from Ouji was a large rock which was also tarnished with similar stains to the cloth. _Is that the murder weapon?_

"What's with the cloth?" I asked hoarsely. Miyagawa shuffled and his face became even more pale.

"Her head," he muttered as he fought against his apparent revulsion at the thought, "has been completely crushed. She's unrecognisable - Nishi suggested we cover her." Miyagawa held a hand to his mouth and turned away from the body, nauseous at the memory of what he had seen. I silently thanked him. Then, Morino strode over to the body and looked around the room once, bemused.

"Morino? What's wrong?" Iowa questioned him.

"All this blood..." Morino murmured, seemingly to himself.

"What about the blood?" Iowa pressed, and Morino blinked at her, noticeably hesitating before he spoke.

"If all she suffered was a large head injury," he began, "isn't that blood over there suspicious?" He pointed about six feet away from me, in the opposite direction that the stone was lying from Ouji. We all looked and saw what he was talking about - a series of grisly, deep red smears painted the nearby floor and walls. The only surviving piece of furniture in the room, a waist-high teacher's desk, had also been sullied with specks of gore. _Is that Ouji's blood? There's so much! How did she end up over there, if all of that is hers?_

"Maybe her body was moved?" Saza suggested.

"Even so," hummed Morino gravely, "isn't there still too much of it to come from just a head injury, even one as serious as Ouji's?"

"What are you saying? That the blood is someone else's?" cried Morihei in horror. We all froze. _Someone else's? But who?_

"You don't mean," snivelled Yoneda, "that the blood belongs to _him_?"

"I don't know..." admitted Morihei.

"Then where is he?" shouted Yoneda. "Where's my friend? Where's Tokunaga?" As Morihei and Saza tried to calm Yoneda down, I stood up and walked over to the copper-coloured stains. They were a peculiar shape; there was an unnatural curve to them from the desk, as though they were directing me to investigate further.

"Ori?" I heard my name, but I didn't know who said it. I was transfixed, hypnotised by the swirling patterns, beckoning me to look... behind... the desk. For the second time that day, I screamed. My scream was feral and agonised. There was blood everywhere, absolutely everywhere. The area behind the desk was as red as the brightest ruby, but there was nothing beautiful about the nightmare that quickly seared itself into my head, locking me into a terrified haze as my vision lost focus. A wheelbarrow had been stationed behind the desk, and under any other circumstance I would have asked why it was there, but I was able to only look at what it contained.

I was looking at the corpse of Tokunaga Carluccio, the Ultimate Operatic Performer. His eyes, glassy and absent, were looking directly at the ceiling as his head hung loosely from his neck, which had been slit open. The reason for the sea of vermilion, however, had not appeared solely from that one wound, but from others all over his body, which had been dismembered at the shoulders and hips. Tokunaga was just a torso and a head, and as I came crashing back down to reality I keeled over and vomited on the floor.

"Ori, what is- oh my god..." as Miyagawa rushed over to me to help, he too came across the abhorrent condition of Tokunaga's body. He let a baffled and pained roar. "What the fuck? Tokunaga!"

"You found him?" I heard Yoneda's voice ask hopefully. I heard footsteps and then a loud gasp. "T-Tokunaga? What is this? Why is h-he...? No! NO!" There was a cracking sound and Monomenon's chilling cackling made us all shiver as he spoke to us via an intercom.

"Oh dear," he giggled, "it would appear I was wrong. It would seem there have been _two _incidents on the third floor. What are you going to do, students? Wait, why am I asking that question? I already know the answer - it's investigation time!" _Does that mean there were two murders? _"As there have been two absolutely delectable murders, Monoworth and I will give all remaining students extra time to conduct their investigation! Wow, it's like a sport!" He laughed maliciously once more before his voice suddenly left the room with a pop.

We stood still for a long time. I don't know when, but the silence was slowly replaced by the sounds of Yoneda grieving for his friends in the only way he could. He cried loudly for Tokunaga and for Ouji and his voice poured with sorrow, even when he ran out of breath to sob.

This was why I could never believe. _I can never believe in my friends. _When that thought entered my mind, I was sure I heard my own heart shatter.


	28. Suspicion in Time of Heartbreak

_Two murders. There have been two murders. _These words swam repeatedly around my head, the images of Ouji and Tokunaga's corpses alternatively flashing in my vision. The unforgettable and sickening conditions their bodies had been left in made every cell of my body ache with confusion, rage and pain. Both of the victims were some of the kindest, most goodhearted people I'd ever met. Ouji, despite her salacious sense of humour, had always been selfless and acted like a big sister to us all. Similarly, Tokunaga had shown us his caring side, but he had also been quick to point out flaws of the killing game and retorted the bears at any opportunity he could. Both of them had been strong, far stronger than I could ever be. _So, why were they dead? Who could have done this?_

"I can't believe this," whimpered Mina. Some of the others had cautiously moved over to the desk to inspect the corpse of Tokunaga, but Miyagawa and I warned them not to look if they had weak stomachs. Only Nishi, Morino, Morihei and Iowa dared look him, while Mina, Saza and Mitsumi stayed by the entrance to the classroom. Yoneda, for his part, was motionless and silent. He just stared in horror at Tokunaga and wept uncontrollably. Once recovered from the shock, we all reconvened at the entrance and decided on what to do, but we were immediately faced with a problem.

"So, how are we investigating their deaths?" I asked weakly.

"Indeed," said Morino in thought, "the bears have not been in clear in what they want us to do. I did not imagine that we would be faced with two murders at the same time."

"How _dare _you insult my administrative skills?" roared Monomenon, who had just dropped into the room. "The game is perfect!"

"Then what will you have us do?" demanded Morino. "What do we do when there are two murders?"

"The rules state that any student cannot murder more than two students," added Miyagawa angrily, "so are we to assume that the same person murdered Ouji and Tokunaga?"

"No, because to assume makes an ass out of you and me," sang Monomenon. "I will not reveal whether they were killed by the same person or by different people, but in terms of the class trial, you need to figure out who was murdered _first_. Once you have decided that, you need to determine who the killer of the first victim is."

"And the second victim and their killer?" Nishi questioned.

"Oh, they don't matter," chortled Monomenon happily, "we will not be conducting a class trial for the second victim and the one who murdered them."

"Why not? We need to know who killed them both," cried Saza.

"No, you don't," retorted the bear. "Monoworth and I have so much to prepare, and you guys take ages to do your class trials, so doing two in a row would be exhausting! You still have to investigate both Ouji and Tokunaga's deaths since you all have to decide the chronology of their demises. I'd ask Tokunaga to lend you a hand, but it seems he's missing them!"

"You bastard!" screamed Yoneda. "Don't you dare talk about him!" Monomenon just laughed.

"Don't talk about him? Well, I'm going to go out on a _limb _here and say you're upset, Yoneda. Perhaps you'd feel better if I told you a joke? Although, now's not the time to be _humerus, _we've got an investigation to do!" With those tasteless jokes, Monomenon disappeared from the room. Yoneda shook with rage, and I hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder for comfort, but he only erupted.

"Why would _anyone_ want to kill Tokunaga?" he shouted. "Why would any of us kill him? He was so kind and helpful, and his English was really improving... It's not fair! Why..?"

"At the same time, we can't stand here grieving," muttered Morihei sadly, "we have twice the task we have faced before. We only have a limited amount of time to figure out who could have possibly done this."

"But Ouji was always the one to conduct the autopsies," Saza pointed out, "who's going to do them now that she's gone?"

"I'll do it," said Miyagawa firmly, a grim expression on his pale face.

"Miyagawa? What do you know about autopsies?" queried Nishi.

"Not as much as Ouji," he admitted, "but Ouji pulled me to one side on a few occasions. She told me that she didn't expect to survive the killing game, so she wanted someone else to know how to analyse a corpse, just as a precautionary measure. She said my skills as an appraiser would make me the easiest to teach, as she didn't know how much longer she would live. But to think that it actually happened..." _So that's what they were talking about on the way to Uehara's trial, _I thought. Ouji really believed she was going to die, and she still stood up to the despair of the killing game so strongly. I envied that strength. _I should have died, not her, _a voice in my head told me, and I found myself agreeing with it. I had lost all faith in beating the killing game; it was only a matter of time before I was killed by someone, or resorted to murder myself. My luck had to run out eventually. No, I wanted it to run out - that would mean the end of my suffering. But I couldn't, I had to wait. Wait and watch more and more of my friends die.

"Are you going to be okay?" I heard Saza ask Miyagawa, and he nodded.

"It's what Ouji wanted, and now that this has happened," he looked down sadly at Ouji's body, "I must keep my promise to her."

"One more person should still stay behind," added Morihei, "just for safety in numbers." _What a pitiful excuse, _I thought angrily, _you're only suggesting that because we have to remain suspicious of everyone_.

"I want to stay," sobbed Yoneda. "Tokunaga needs me, and I have read some of the books in the library on murder and body identification. I won't be of much help, but I can't leave him here." Without another word, Yoneda walked back over to the desk behind which we had discovered Tokunaga's body. I could hear him crying softly.

"That leaves myself, Ori, Saza, Iowa, Mina, Morino, Mitsumi and Nishi to investigate the rest of the school," concluded Morihei. "I suggest we split into pairs and check the first, second and third floors for clues."

"What about the fourth pair?" Saza asked.

"Ori and I will go around collating and analysing everyone's testimonies, alibis and witness statements," stated Morino. I looked at him in surprise. _Why do you want to investigate with someone like me? _Regardless, everyone agreed and it was decided that Mina and Morihei would investigate the first floor and the victims' dormitories, Saza would go with Iowa to the second floor and Nishi and Mitsumi would stay on the third floor. As they all left the room to head to their respective floors, I didn't say a word. Morino walked over to me.

"What?" I said sharply.

"Let's start."

"Where?"

"We need to talk to Miyagawa and Yoneda about their movements yesterday afternoon and this morning," Morino explained, "we can also investigate the crime scene since those two will be looking at the bodies."

"How are you so calm?" The question seemed to catch the golden-eyed boy off-guard, but he merely shrugged in response.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I'm not sure that Ouji and Tokunaga considered me a friend, nor I them. It's hard to feel compassion for those you don't know."

"I think you should be feeling a bit more than compassion for the dead, Morino," I scolded.

"Then what do you feel?" he asked. I stayed silent, and he didn't wait for an answer. "Then, let's begin." He walked past Ouji's body, which Miyagawa was scanning, and knelt down my the rock on the floor. I joined him reluctantly.

"This is the weapon that killed Ouji," I guessed, and Morino hummed in agreement.

"That seems likely, given that she sustained heavy trauma to her head. The problem is how it got here. It's a heavy rock, and it would require a lot of strength to even lift, let alone carry from the garden to this classroom and wield as a weapon."

"Also, the killer would have had to incapacitate Ouji," I added, "in order to to use the rock effectively. Such a cumbersome object, as you say, would be hard to aim with, so she must have been unconscious or detained in such a way that would have made it impossible for her to defend her skull."

"Quite right, and given the amount of broken furniture in the room," Morino began, glancing around the room, "it's possible the killer used a broken chair or table leg to knock her out before killing her. But a lot of the items in this room have blood on them, so it'd be a pointless task to figure out what was used. In any case, Miyagawa may discover something when he looks at Ouji's injuries." He stood up, ready to move to elsewhere, but I continued to examine to stone. Something had caught my eye and I carefully turned the rock over, deliberately avoiding getting any of Ouji's blood on my hands. What I saw made me gasp. On the underside of the stone was a spatter of blood that had formed in a very specific shape.

"Morino, look at this," I whispered, "this bloodstain is-"

"Those are the outlines of someone's hand," he finished my sentence for me.

"But what does that tell us?"

"It means the killer was holding the rock when it connected with Ouji's head. So the killer has to be someone who's strong enough to lift the rock."

"That could be anyone, besides maybe Mina," I said, but then I remembered the iron grip of Mina and Uehara's embraces. "Actually, never mind. Mina could have done it."

"I would rule out Mitsumi as Ouji's killer also," said Morino, "given that he asked Nishi to help him build the gravestone by carrying those rocks. If Mitsumi had been able to carry them, he wouldn't have needed Nishi's help."

"I think there was another reason for Mitsumi requesting Nishi to go with him," I thought aloud with a soft smile.

"Really? What?"

"You don't know?" Morino shook his head.

"Never mind. It's not important to the investigation; I'll explain it if we make it out of the trial." Morino, perplexed, only nodded.

"Shall we move on? I believe we should try and talk to Yoneda first." We hesitantly strode over to the Ultimate Polyglot, who was still sobbing as he stared at Tokunaga's body. He was mumbling unintelligibly to himself, but stopped when he sensed our presence behind him.

"What do you want?" he hiccuped, removing his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"Yoneda, can we ask you what you were doing yesterday afternoon and this morning," queried Morino bluntly, making both Yoneda and I flinch.

"I suppose," he said, "but I don't know much help it will be."

"If we can figure out who saw Ouji and Tokunaga last, it will help us narrow down the time frame for their murders and subsequently we may be able to decipher who was killed first," I said in the most comforting voice I could muster as the horror of Tokunaga's body filled my vision.

"Then, you agree with Monomenon? Once we decide who was killed first, the second victim may as well be forgotten?" Yoneda said angrily, folding his arms.

"That's not what we think at all," denied Morino, "in fact, the second victim is just as important, especially since that one person could be responsible for both murders. Besides, I don't think the bears introduced a rule to say that we _couldn't _discuss the second victim and killer during the trial. They only explained that the verdict would be for the first killer."

"Please, Yoneda," I begged, "tell us what you know." He sighed.

"I was going to tell you anyway," he confessed, "but I was worried people were ready to forget about whoever died second. Well, here's what I know. Yesterday afternoon, Tokunaga and I spent most of the day in the library. We were teaching each other English and Italian until the evening. At some point, Miyagawa came into the library also so that he could do some homework that Ouji had given him, but you should speak to him about that. Before heading to our dormitories for the night, Tokunaga and I agreed to meet in the morning to go to breakfast together, but he never left his room. I spent about half an hour this morning knocking on his door, calling out for him and sending messages to him via the Seiko-pad. However, I received no answer from him. Shortly after thirty minutes had passed, Miyagawa came across me as he was carrying Ori to her room. I gave up on trying to get Tokunaga's attention and helped Miyagawa take care of Ori. Once he and I were sure that she was resting, I explained to him that I had been unable to rouse Tokunaga, so we went to the cafeteria and told the others. After that, we went and investigated, and I returned to the dormitories to see if I could get a response from Tokunaga, but again I heard nothing. Sometime after that, Monomenon's announcement played and Ori emerged from her room. And that's all I know." Yoneda exhaled deeply and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "All that time, I was worried that he had been killed, and when we found Ouji I thought he had been the traitor and used that key to escape. I was worried that he had been lying to me this whole time, that he had never once been my friend. But then we found him, and I asked myself whether I would have preferred to face the death of a friend or that friend's betrayal. But then I thought, facing Tokunaga's death meant facing the betrayal of another friend. There was no best-case scenario, only scenarios that vexed me to the point where my faith in you all wavered. I doubted my trust of you all, and even now I have doubt in my heart, but would Tokunaga want that? He thought so highly of everyone when we had our chats in the library, and he was a constant source of strength for me. Now, I have to be strong for him, so I tell myself he would not want me to doubt my friends. So, I'm going to fight. I'll find whoever killed him, whoever killed Ouji, and bring them to justice!"

I was jealous of Yoneda. Within himself he had found strength given to him by his powerful loyalty to his friend. I didn't have that. I didn't have a Tokunaga, someone whom I could lean on when my troubles grew. _At least, not anymore_. I risked a glance over at Miyagawa, who was still examining Ouji. _Had Miyagawa been trying to get me to be strong? Was that why he protected me in that class trial?_ I felt a bitter regret and looked away from Miyagawa. I didn't have time to let my personal feelings obstruct the investigation, but this new feeling that had surfaced showed no intent on disappearing.

"Thank you, Yoneda," said Morino, "your testimony has been most helpful. Just to clarify, you didn't see Ouji at all?" Yoneda shook his head.

"No, I didn't see her today," said Yoneda, "but I was under the impression she was in her dormitory because she was ill. I believe she spent time with Mina and Iowa yesterday, though. You should speak with them."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked. Yoneda's expression darkened.

"Of course not, but I don't have the option to grieve. Once survival is assured, I will. Now, if you don't mind, I believe you have other areas to go to, and others to question. I'd like some time alone with my thoughts before I help Miyagawa." We thanked him for his help and left him be. We walked over to Miyagawa, who had now stood, apparently done with his examination.

"Miyagawa," began Morino, "do you mind if we ask you a couple of questions?" Miyagawa looked at us and frowned.

"Actually, can your questions wait? I want to finish my autopsies, and I need to check both of them for external injuries they may have suffered that are hidden beneath their clothes. So, you'll need to leave the room for now. However, once I'm finished, I'll send you a message, Morino." He didn't even glance in my direction as he walked past us to attend to Tokunaga's corpse.

"We should go," I said uneasily, "we have lots to cover." Morino agreed and we left the classroom.

"Where should we go first?" Morino asked once we were out of earshot.

"Let's start on this floor," I decided, "we can work our way down some floors and then return to get Miyagawa's testimony." Morino nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't noticed Miyagawa's terse attitude. We strolled towards the far end of the third-floor corridor, to the science lab. Once there, we found Nishi and Mitsumi. As I had expected, they were investigating the metal cabinet that was the source of the motive. We greeted them and asked if they had found anything.

"There are lots of things that are odd," Nishi began, "but then Mitsumi said we should check out the cabinet, as that's where the motive was hidden. So, we came to see if anything was taken but... well, you can see for yourselves." He gestured towards the object in question, and Morino and I peered to our rights to see that the cabinet was still locked.

"Did the traitor not escape? Or did they lock the cabinet after taking what was inside?" I asked. Morino stepped forward to take a closer look at its front.

"The lock isn't even scratched," he stated, "so even if the traitor did obtain the key, they haven't used it. But why?" I checked the lock myself to see if Morino was right, and was equally surprised to find that the lock was completely spotless.

"So, that m-means the k-killer is s-still in the s-school?" whimpered Mitsumi.

"Yes, and if the killer isn't the traitor," I said grimly, "then that means we have two people working against us." I gulped at the realisation.

"Well, let's not think about that for now," chimed in Nishi, "we have other things to show you guys." With one last glance at the cabinet, Nishi and Mitsumi took Morino and I to the garden. Once there, we were immediately greeted with where I had already assumed the rock that had killed Ouji had come from. The gravestone, which the boys had worked so hard to erect for us, was now desecrated. The rocks lay haphazardly on the ground and the candles were crushed. The portraits seemed untouched, but I looked closer and noted that there were only three intact sheets of paper.

"Sanda's portrait was destroyed, presumably when the killer was ransacking the grave," Nishi informed us, noticing my inquisitive eyes.

"Y-you worked so hard on them, Nishi," said Mitsumi between sobs, "and n-now it's ruined."

"If we survive the class trial, Mitsumi, I'll draw her again," Nishi told him. "Besides, there are two more portraits to join them."

"But for the time being," Morino cut in, "we need to focus on why the grave was tampered with at all. Obviously, the rock we found in the classroom came from Nishi and Mitsumi's construction project, but how was it transported to the classroom?"

"We looked in the shed at the back of the room, and we did find a couple of things missing," Nishi mentioned.

"How do you know they're missing?" I asked.

"There's a c-catalogue that l-lists all the items," Mitsumi told us, "so w-we checked the items and c-compared them t-to the catalogue."

"The only things missing were a handsaw and wheelbarrow," added Nishi grimly, "the missing wheelbarrow is clearly the one we found Tokunaga's body in, but I'm not sure about the handsaw."

"I imagine," I said, nausea swelling in my stomach, "that the handsaw was used to sever Tokunaga'a arms and legs." Nishi looked at the ground when I said this.

"Who the fuck would do this?" he muttered. "To murder not one, but two of our friends."

"We don't yet know that the same person murdered both Ouji and Tokunaga," Morino reminded us, "there could be two killers out there, so we need to make sure we inspect everything. This brings me to my next question: can the both of you describe where you were and what you were doing yesterday afternoon and this morning?" They both nodded.

"We were together the entire time, so our testimonies match," Nishi began with a smile. "After the motive reveal yesterday, Mitsumi and I were in the garden with Ouji and Morihei. At some point, Ouji left to go and meet with someone elsewhere. About a few hours later, Ouji came back with some food she had cooked and the three of us were doing gardening until about nine in the evening. Morihei never left the insectarium next to the shed, so we can testify where she was until nighttime. Mitsumi stayed in my room, and when we woke up we headed to the garden instead of going to breakfast. We saw Sazzy en route and explained where we were going, and then left for the garden. That was when we discovered that the grave in its current state."

"I w-was v-very s-sad," explained Mitsumi, "so Nishi c-cheered me up with s-some m-more gardening."

"But then," continued Nishi, "we received a message from Yoneda to say that Tokunaga was missing and that everyone except Ouji and you, Ori, were looking for him. Since we were already on the third floor, Mitsumi and I decided to look around for him, but we couldn't find him. Eventually, we were joined by Miyagawa who suggested we search classroom 3-A, because it was the only room we hadn't investigated due to our agreement to never go back in. That was when we found Ouji, and Monomenon's announcement played on the intercom." Nishi took a deep breath, finishing his recount of events. Morino hummed in thought.

"Well, since you two were together the whole time, we can almost certainly rule you out as suspects," he said, and both boys were visibly relieved, "and you've also given statements for a few of the others, which we can compare later when we speak to them."

"Is there anything else you want to tell us?" I asked. "Anything at all?" For a while, neither boy said anything, but then Mitsumi piped up.

"It m-may be nothing," he stammered, "but I s-saw something when w-we found Ouji. I d-didn't go into the r-room b-because I d-don't like the s-sight of b-blood, so when I was s-standing outside I noticed that there w-were really f-faint dented scuff m-m-marks in the carpet."

"Scuff marks? We didn't see anything like that."

"They w-were really small, about the s-size of a f-fifty-pence p-piece, and there w-were two in t-total."

"Did you take a picture?" Morino asked, but Mitsumi shook his head.

"N-n-no, I didn't think they w-would be important. I'm so s-s-sorry..."

"It's okay," I reassured him, "you were in shock, we all were. We'll look for them on our way to see the others. Thank you, Mitsumi." The shorter boy sniffled and nodded. Morino and I asked if there was anything else to add, but they declined. They said they would continue searching and if they found anything, they would bring it up during the trial. We thanked them once again and left the garden and walked over to the entrance to the crime scene. As Mitsumi had said, there were two small dents in the corridor's carpeting; I hastily took a picture in fear they suddenly disappeared.

"So, what are your thoughts so far, Ori?" Morino asked me as we stepped inside the elevator and began descending to the second floor.

"It seems they both were killed during nighttime. We know that both Ouji and Tokunaga were alive until nighttime, but I am unsure about the order of their deaths. My hunch is that Tokunaga died first."

"And why's that?"

"Iowa mentioned something this morning. She, Mina and Ouji were all planning on cooking our breakfast this morning, but Mina overslept and Iowa received a message from Ouji to say that she was suffering a headache and wouldn't be at breakfast. Since we know that she was alive at breakfast, it seems more likely that Tokunaga was murdered first. Also, dismembering him would have taken some time, and the best opportunity to have done that would have been during the night, when everyone was asleep."

"I see, that makes sense," said Morino, "we should ask Iowa about that when we find them." The elevator jolted and came to a halt, and we stepped out onto the second-floor corridor. It did not take us long to locate Iowa and Saza in the games room, looking around for anything that stood out.

"Hi girls," I said at the entrance, "how is your search going?" They took a break from their search to greet us.

"Hello, Ori," said Saza cheerfully, "our search is fine, but we haven't found anything yet." This was unsurprising to me; except perhaps the library and music hall, none of the rooms was a hot-spot for Ouji nor for Tokunaga. On top of that, Yoneda had already testified where Tokunaga was before he went missing, so it would have been strange had anything been discovered here.

"That makes sense," said Morino, who had apparently come to a similar conclusion, "we already know the whereabouts of both victims leading up to last night. While Tokunaga spent a lot of time in the library with Yoneda, there was no indication that Ouji ever came here. Given that both bodies were found in the same room, it seems even more likely that most evidence would be on that floor."

"What about the storeroom?" I asked, but Iowa and Saza both shook their heads.

"If anything was taken from there, it's not obvious what," Saza replied, "nothing as obvious as a javelin mounted on a wall, at least." The reference to Edward's visitation to the storeroom made me shudder.

"Well, perhaps it's better we don't focus on that," said Morino, "but since we found you both, would you mind telling us your whereabouts? We need to cross-examine your testimonies with what the others have said."

"Woah you sound so professional, Morino!" Saza joked, and I saw Morino's cheeks tint a very faint pink. "Well, I suppose I can start. Yesterday afternoon, I was with Iowa for a short while, but I spent most of the day by myself in the games room."

"Why were you there?" Morino asked.

"Well, ever since Uehara died," she said sadly, "nobody has been able to play with Mina. I thought that if I learned to use what's in the game room, Mina could have someone else to spend time with. It's not the same as Uehara being alive, but it's better than Mina remaining isolated."

"Okay, and then where were you this morning?" Morino questioned. _Wow, _I thought, _he didn't even spare a moment to thank Saza for being so thoughtful_.

"This morning, I went to breakfast at the normal time," Saza told us, "and I saw big bro and his 'boyfriend' in the corridor. They told me that they were skipping breakfast and going to the third floor to check on the gravestone and do some flower arrangements. I didn't think to stop them, since they had each other. When I went to breakfast, I met with Ori and Miyagawa. Ori was then ill, and so I helped Iowa and Miyagawa take care of her. When Miyagawa carried Ori away, I stayed with Mina and Iowa in the kitchen. Some time later, Miyagawa and Yoneda came to us and explained that Tokunaga hadn't been seen that morning. Iowa, Mina and I immediately came to this floor of the school before... Ouji was found." Saza's differently-coloured eyes glistened as the memory of what we were investigating returned to her.

"As for me," continued Iowa, resting a hand on Saza's shoulder, "I was with Saza for about thirty minutes before she left for the games room. Then, I spent the rest of the day with Mina in the kitchen, because I wanted to distract her from learning what Saza was planning. Ouji joined us both in the evening, as she wanted to prepare an evening meal for herself, Morihei, Nishi and Mitsumi who were all on the third floor. Or, that's what she said to us, at the very least. Once Mina and I were exhausted from cooking and practicing food preparation, we returned to our dormitories, but we didn't see anyone. This morning, i got up early as normal to go and make breakfast for everyone, where I encountered you, Ori. I had made plans with Ouji and Mina to make breakfast together, but Ouji had sent me a message via the Seiko-pad, telling me that she was unwell with a headache and would be unable to help. I knocked on Mina's door, but I assumed she was still asleep. After that... my testimony is the same as Saza's."

"This message you got from Ouji," Morino began, "can you remember what time it was sent?" Iowa retrieved her Seiko-pad from her pocket and pressed something on the screen a few times.

"It says here she sent it at four o'clock this morning," she said in surprise. "In truth, I hadn't thought to check what time I had received the message. Why was she awake at that hour?"

"I'm not sure that's what we should be focusing on," I said, "we now know that she was still alive at that time."

"And why is that important?" Saza asked.

"Do you remember what the bears said? They told us that in the next class trial, we need to figure out who was murdered first and who killed them. Our first priority should therefore be ascertaining who was murdered first - your testimony may help us do just that."

"I'm glad," Iowa smiled, "though I wish we weren't doing this in the first place. To think that one of us, perchance even two, could have done something so cruel is unimaginable. Have we not suffered enough?"

"Monoworth and Monomenon will not stop until we all die," I told her.

"I know that, but still," she didn't finish her sentence, because Morino interrupted her.

"Thank you, both," he said without looking at them. In his hands, he was swiftly typing some notes onto his own Seiko-pad, but before I could glance at what he was writing, he switched it off and returned it to his pocket. "If there is nothing else to report, then Ori and I will be on our way." Without waiting for a response, Morino turned on his heel and left the room. With a brief, apologetic and vexed look at both Saza and Iowa, I took long strides to catch up with Morino, who was almost at the elevator's entrance. Once we were inside and again descending to the first floor, I asked him:

"Do you have any ideas?" He was frowning, which concerned me.

"None at all," he admitted. "There are a few of us who I suspect more than others, but there are questions that I haven't been able to answer based on the evidence we have so far."

"What questions are those?" I pressed.

"First of all, I am unsure why Tokunaga was on the third floor during nighttime, nor do I know why both bodies were in that classroom. Then there's the issue with the wheelbarrow, the marks outside the crime scene and Tokunaga's missing body parts. Nothing is fitting into place. Whoever the killer or killers are, they have been very thorough, and I am concerned about what we will discover, or lack thereof." I grumbled. If even Morino, by far the most capable at solving the mysteries, was struggling, then that was a bad omen. _But could one of us really outsmart Morino?_ I barely had any time to register this thought before the elevator once again came to a sudden stop and opened its metallic maw to the first floor of the school, where this nightmare had begun.

\---

We found Mina and Morihei in the area by the dormitories. They had just exited the room with Tokunaga's nameplate on it, crestfallen expressions on their faces, which changed when they saw Morino and I.

"Ori! Morino! You're here!" cheered Mina, and she gripped us both in a tight squeeze. Morino was mortified by the gesture, and tried to pry her off, but Mina's embraces had proved inescapable. Morihei laughed loudly at his reaction.

"Does this mean you've both checked on the others?" she asked once she had stopped laughing. I nodded.

"Yes, we've had lots of information so far," I then relayed the basics of what we had found. Morihei looked more and more confused as I told her what we had discovered. However, Mina was as white as a sheet; she had not seen Tokunaga's corpse, so when she heard that his limbs were missing, she was naturally horrified.

"There's no way one of us did that," she whispered, swaying slightly in shock. "They cut his fucking arms and legs off?"

"Have they been found?" Morihei asked worriedly, but I shook my head. "Oh heavens..."

"That aside," Morino continued, "we will have plenty of time to discuss that in the trial. For now, would you two tell us what you've discovered on this floor? I see that you have just finished investigating Tokunaga's room." Morihei cleared her throat.

"We have found a few things, actually, but it's not good news." It was then that I noticed that Mina was holding several pieces of paper in her hand. She noticed me looking and held them out to me, and I gently took them from her. There were three sheets of paper in total.

"Are these pieces of evidence you're submitting?" I asked.

"Yes, we found the top sheet in Tokunaga's room," Mina said, "it's a note from someone." I read the note aloud.

_I have the key. I need your help to escape the academy. Meet me on the third floor at midnight sharp - only you can help me._

"Do you know who wrote this?" I quizzed them. Morihei nodded, but her body language was apprehensive.

"We compared the handwriting in the note to everyone's handwriting here," said Morihei slowly, "and the closest match was Ouji. The other two sheets is a letter she seemed to have written to her parents." I held the letter and the note in each of hands and looked at them side by side. As Morihei had informed us, the penmanship was identical on both documents, so there was no doubt that Ouji had written this note to Tokunaga, but I couldn't understand how they had both become victims of murder.

"Were you able to find anything else?" Morino asked, but the girls shook their head.

"Not yet, but I am doubtful that anything else will surface," Morihei replied, "but we'll keep looking."

"Do you two know who did it?" Mina asked hopefully. I looked down at the floor, and Mina's shoulders sagged.

"I see."

"Don't give up yet, Mina," Morihei told her with a smile, "Ori always figures things out during the trials. So, we have to work hard too like her, okay?" Mina nodded fervently and seemed to shake away her sadness as quickly as it had come.

"No problem! Do you guys need anything else?"

"Your testimonies and alibis, please," requested Morino. "Yours are the only ones we're missing right now."

"Of course," agreed Morihei happily, "since you've spoken with the others, you probably already know that I was in the insectarium all of yesterday. I briefly spoke with Ouji as she very kindly made some food for me. This morning, I went immediately back to the beetles on the third floor. I informed Ouji of this, but if she was dead then obviously she wouldn't have seen my message. I guess that makes me pretty suspicious, doesn't it?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Morihei?"

"Funny, isn't it? I accuse Ori of being Uehara's killer, and now I'm a suspect in this case. How ironic." Mina, looking over at Morihei, went over to her and gave her a soft embrace.

"It's okay, Morihei, I believe you didn't kill them," she said quietly. Morihei smiled down at her and returned the favour, thanking Mina as she did so. _How can you believe in her so easily, Mina? _Then, Mina began telling us her version of events.

"I was in the games room after the motive was revealed. At some point, I was summoned by Iowa to the kitchen, as she wanted some help preparing food for the others. I was more than happy to help, so she and I were together the whole evening. Ouji came by, as Morihei said, to make food for those on the third floor. She, Iowa and I all agreed to meet the next morning to make breakfast for everyone, but I overslept and arrived to the cafeteria late, but only Ori and Iowa were there." After that, Mina's testimony matched what we had heard from Iowa, Saza and Yoneda, so once the girls had finished explaining their movements, we thanked them and returned to the elevator. We still had to check Miyagawa's testimony, as well as learn the results of the autopsies. But when we arrived at the second floor, Monomenon's voice echoed throughout the academy.

"My darling detectives," he screeched, "your time is up!" I froze. _What? But we haven't finished investigating! We still don't don't have any leads!_ "Please would all you pathetic little worms gather to the trial chamber as soon as possible!" There was a popping sound and the bear's voice disappeared.

"So, they really want to make this hard for us," Morino muttered irritably.

"Do you think we can do this?" I asked worriedly as we waited for the others to gather.

"I think," he said with a pause, "that as long as we have your talent, we should be fine." He offered me an unconvincing attempt at a smile. _He should stick to frowning. _Yoneda, Miyagawa, Nishi and Mitsumi turned the corner and walked towards us. Miyagawa and Yoneda were visibly pale, the latter leaning on Nishi's tall frame for support. My eyes made contact with Miyagawa's, but he swiftly turned his gaze away. I looked down at the ground, ashamed. We all waited, not saying a word to one another, as the lift rose to our floor. Inside, the girls were already waiting, their expressions equally saddened. The only sound that could be heard as the elevator took us to our next trial was the occasional sob from Yoneda. Nishi rubbed his back gently and said something that seemed to cheer the Ultimate Polyglot up. I looked over at Miyagawa once again, but he was focused on his Seiko-pad. I knew he was aware I was looking at him, but he was ignoring me. _Can you blame him, Ori? _A voice in my head whispered. _You betrayed his trust by not believing him. Don't be mad with him, be mad with yourself. You're a stupid girl, Ori, for thinking that anyone like him would like you._ I shook my head furiously and focused on the intolerable grating sound as gears and chains ground together as we continued to rise.

Once we arrived, we did as was expected and found our way to our designated podiums and waited for Monoworth and Monomenon. This was it, the beginning of the third class trial. But this time, we didn't know who the victim of the trial was. Was it Ouji, the sweet, endearing and charming girl whose head had been crushed? Or was it the quiet Tokunaga, who had acted defiantly against the bears, but had faced a fate more gruesome than someone like him could ever deserve? Whoever the victim was, one of us had killed them, and I couldn't forgive that person. In my head, the only possible resolution was the execution of the monster that rid the world of two wonderful souls.

With a cackle, Monomenon and Monoworth's rose from the ground on their thrones, and the third trial began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I appreciate that there is a lot of information in this chapter, and it quite lengthy, so I have included some questions in this notes section so that you can gather your thoughts. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the third trial - hopefully I can break the infamous "Case 3 curse" of the Danganronpa series!
> 
> -HyperDangan
> 
> P.S. Food for thought:
> 
> How was the rock transported from the garden to Classroom 3-A?  
How was the rock used to kill Ouji?  
Why did the student with the key not go to the cabinet?  
What were the two marks found outside the crime scene?  
What was the purpose of removing Tokunaga's arms and legs?  
Why would Ouji need help to escape?  
Why did Ouji write that note to Tokunaga?


	29. A Meeting in Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Just a quick note that myself and the wonderful folks in my Discord server decided that it would be best to publish all the trial chapters in one bulk release, which is why it has taken a while for any new updates!
> 
> Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy Chapters 29-33!

_ Two murders. There have been two murders.  _ These words swam repeatedly around my head, the images of Ouji and Tokunaga's corpses alternately flashing in my vision. The unforgettable and sickening conditions their bodies had been left in made every cell of my body ache with confusion, rage and pain. Both of the victims were some of the kindest, most goodhearted people I'd ever met. Ouji, despite her salacious sense of humour, had always been selfless and had acted like our big sister. Similarly, Tokunaga had shown us his caring side, but he had also been quick to point out flaws of the killing game and refuted the bears at any given opportunity. Both of them had been strong, far stronger than I could ever be.  _ So, why were they dead? Who could have done this? _

"I can't believe this," whimpered Mina. Some of the others had cautiously moved over to the desk to inspect the corpse of Tokunaga, but Miyagawa and I warned them not to look if they had weak stomachs. Only Nishi, Morino, Morihei and Iowa dared to look at him, while Mina, Saza and Mitsumi stayed by the entrance to the classroom. Yoneda, for his part, was motionless and silent. He just stared in horror at Tokunaga and wept uncontrollably. Once recovered from the shock, we all reconvened at the entrance and decided on what to do, but we were immediately faced with a problem.

"So, how are we investigating their deaths?" I asked weakly.

"Indeed," said Morino in thought, "the bears have not been clear in what they want us to do. I did not imagine that we would be faced with two murders at the same time."

"How  _ dare  _ you insult my administrative skills?" roared Monomenon, who had just dropped into the room. "The game is perfect!"

"Then what will you have us do?" demanded Morino. "What do we do when there are two murders?"

"The rules state that a student cannot murder more than two students," added Miyagawa angrily, "so are we to assume that the same person murdered Ouji and Tokunaga?"

"No, because to assume makes an ass out of you and me," sang Monomenon. "I will not reveal whether they were killed by the same person or by different people, but for the class trial, you need to figure out who was murdered  _ first _ . Once you have decided that, you need to determine who the killer of the first victim is."

"And the second victim and their killer?" Nishi questioned.

"Oh, they don't matter," chortled Monomenon happily, "we will not be conducting a class trial for the second victim and the one who murdered them."

"Why not? We need to know who killed them both," cried Saza.

"No, you don't," retorted the bear. "Monoworth and I have so much to prepare, and you guys take ages to do your class trials, so doing two in a row would be exhausting! You still have to investigate both Ouji and Tokunaga's deaths since you have to decide the chronology of their demise. I'd ask Tokunaga to lend you a hand, but it seems he's missing them!"

"You bastard!" screamed Yoneda. "Don't you dare talk about him!" Monomenon just laughed.

"Don't talk about him? Well, I'm going to go out on a  _ limb  _ here and say you're upset, Yoneda. Perhaps you'd feel better if I told you a joke? Although, now's not the time to be  _ humerus,  _ we've got an investigation to do!" With those tasteless jokes, Monomenon disappeared from the room. Yoneda shook with rage, and I hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder for comfort, but he only erupted.

"Why would  _ anyone _ want to kill Tokunaga?" he shouted. "Why would any of us kill him? He was so kind and helpful, and his English was really improving... It's not fair! Why..?"

"At the same time, we can't stand here grieving," muttered Morihei sadly, "we have twice the task we have faced before. We only have a limited amount of time to figure out who could have possibly done this."

"But Ouji was always the one to conduct the autopsies," Saza pointed out, "who's going to do them now that she's gone?"

"I'll do it," said Miyagawa firmly, a grim expression on his pale face.

"Miyagawa? What do you know about autopsies?" queried Nishi.

"Not as much as Ouji," he admitted, "but Ouji pulled me to one side on a few occasions. She told me that she didn't expect to survive the killing game, so she wanted someone else to know how to analyse a corpse, just as a precautionary measure. She said my skills as an appraiser would make me the easiest to teach. But to think that it actually happened..."  _ So that's what they were talking about on the way to Uehara's trial,  _ I thought. Ouji really believed she was going to die, and she still stood up to the despair of the killing game so strongly. I envied that strength.  _ I should have died, not her,  _ a voice in my head told me, and I found myself agreeing. I had lost all faith in beating the killing game; it was only a matter of time before I was killed by someone, or resorted to murder myself. My luck had to run out eventually. No, I wanted it to run out - that would mean the end of my suffering. But I couldn't, I had to wait. Wait and watch more and more of my friends die.

"Are you going to be okay?" I heard Saza ask Miyagawa, and he nodded.

"It's what Ouji wanted, and now that this has happened," he looked down sadly at Ouji's body, "I must keep my promise to her."

"One more person should still stay behind," added Morihei, "just for safety in numbers."  _ What a pitiful excuse,  _ I thought angrily,  _ you're only suggesting that because we have to remain suspicious of everyone _ .

"I want to stay," sobbed Yoneda. "Tokunaga needs me, and I have read some of the books in the library on murder and body identification. I won't be of much help, but I can't leave him here." Without another word, Yoneda walked back over to the desk behind which we had discovered Tokunaga's body. I could hear him crying softly.

"That leaves myself, Ori, Saza, Iowa, Mina, Morino, Mitsumi and Nishi to investigate the rest of the school," concluded Morihei. "I suggest we split into pairs and check the first, second and third floors for clues."

"What about the fourth pair?" Saza asked.

"Ori and I will go around, collating and analysing everyone's testimonies, alibis and witness statements," stated Morino. I looked at him in surprise.  _ Why do you want to investigate with someone like me?  _ Regardless, everyone agreed and it was decided that Mina and Morihei would investigate the first floor and the victims' dormitories, Saza would go with Iowa to the second floor and Nishi and Mitsumi would stay on the third floor. As they all left the room to head to their respective floors, I didn't say a word. Morino walked over to me.

"What?" I said sharply.

"Let's start."

"Where?"

"We need to talk to Miyagawa and Yoneda about their movements yesterday afternoon and this morning," Morino explained, "we can also investigate the crime scene since those two will be looking at the bodies."

"How are you so calm?" The question seemed to catch the golden-eyed boy off-guard, but he merely shrugged in response.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I'm not sure that Ouji and Tokunaga considered me a friend, nor I them. It's hard to feel compassion for those you don't know."

"I think you should be feeling a bit more than compassion for the dead, Morino," I scolded.

"Then what do you feel?" he asked. I stayed silent, and he didn't wait for an answer. "Then, let's begin." He walked past Ouji's body, which Miyagawa was scanning, and knelt down my the rock on the floor. I joined him reluctantly.

"This is the weapon that killed Ouji," I guessed, and Morino hummed in agreement.

"That seems likely, given that she sustained heavy trauma to her head. The problem is how it got here. It's a heavy rock, and it would require a lot of strength to even lift, let alone carry from the garden to this classroom and wield as a weapon."

"Also, the killer would have had to incapacitate Ouji," I added, "in order to use the rock effectively. Such a cumbersome object, as you say, would be hard to aim with, so she must have been unconscious or detained in such a way that would have made it impossible for her to defend her skull."

"Quite right, and given the amount of broken furniture in the room," Morino began, glancing around the room, "it's possible the killer used a broken chair or table leg to knock her out before killing her. But a lot of the items in this room have blood on them, so it'd be a pointless task to figure out what was used. In any case, Miyagawa may discover something when he looks at Ouji's injuries." He stood up, ready to move elsewhere, but I continued to examine the stone. Something had caught my eye and I carefully turned the rock over, deliberately avoiding getting any of Ouji's blood on my hands. What I saw made me gasp. On the underside of the stone was a spatter of blood that had formed in a very specific shape.

"Morino, look at this," I whispered, "this bloodstain is-"

"Those are the outlines of someone's hand," he finished my sentence for me.

"But what does that tell us?"

"It means the killer was holding the rock when it connected with Ouji's head. So the killer has to be someone who's strong enough to lift the rock."

"That could be anyone, besides maybe Mina," I said, but then I remembered the iron grip of Mina and Uehara's embraces. "Actually, never mind. Mina could have done it."

"I would rule out Mitsumi as Ouji's killer also," said Morino, "given that he asked Nishi to help him build the gravestone by carrying those rocks. If Mitsumi had been able to carry them, he wouldn't have needed Nishi's help."

"I think there was another reason for Mitsumi requesting Nishi to go with him," I thought aloud with a soft smile.

"Really? What?"

"You don't know?" Morino shook his head.

"Never mind. It's not important to the investigation; I'll explain it if we make it out of the trial." Morino, perplexed, only nodded.

"Shall we move on? I believe we should try and talk to Yoneda first." We hesitantly strode over to the Ultimate Polyglot, who was still sobbing as he stared at Tokunaga's body. He was mumbling unintelligibly to himself, but stopped when he sensed a presence behind him.

"What do you want?" he hiccuped, removing his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"Yoneda, can we ask you what you were doing yesterday afternoon and this morning," queried Morino bluntly, making both Yoneda and I flinch.

"I suppose," he said, "but I don't know much help it will be."

"If we can figure out who saw Ouji and Tokunaga last, it will help us narrow down the time frame for their murders and subsequently we may be able to decipher who was killed first," I said in the most comforting voice I could muster as the horror of Tokunaga's body filled my vision.

"Then, you agree with Monomenon? Once we decide who was killed first, the second victim may as well be forgotten?" Yoneda said angrily, folding his arms.

"That's not what we think at all," denied Morino, "in fact, the second victim is just as important, especially since that one person could be responsible for both murders. Besides, I don't think the bears introduced a rule to say that we  _ couldn't  _ discuss the second victim and killer during the trial. They only explained that the verdict would be for the first killer."

"Please, Yoneda," I begged, "tell us what you know." He sighed.

"I was going to tell you anyway," he confessed, "but I was worried people were ready to forget about whoever died second. Well, here's what I know. Yesterday afternoon, Tokunaga and I spent most of the day in the library. We were teaching each other English and Italian until the evening. At some point, Miyagawa came into the library also so that he could do some homework that Ouji had given him, but you should speak to him about that. Before heading to our dormitories for the night, Tokunaga and I agreed to meet in the morning to go to breakfast together, but he never left his room. I spent about half an hour this morning knocking on his door, calling out for him and sending messages to him via the Seiko-pad. However, I received no answer from him. Shortly after thirty minutes had passed, Miyagawa came across me as he was carrying Ori to her room. I gave up on trying to get Tokunaga's attention and helped Miyagawa take care of Ori. Once he and I were sure that she was resting, I explained to him that I had been unable to rouse Tokunaga, so we went to the cafeteria and told the others. After that, we went and investigated, and I returned to the dormitories to see if I could get a response from Tokunaga, but again I heard nothing. Sometime after that, Monomenon's announcement played and Ori emerged from her room. And that's all I know." Yoneda exhaled deeply and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "All that time, I was worried that he had been killed, and when we found Ouji I thought he had been the traitor and used that key to escape. I was worried that he had been lying to me this whole time, that he had never once been my friend. But then we found him, and I asked myself whether I would have preferred to face the death of a friend or that friend's betrayal. But then I thought, facing Tokunaga's death meant facing the betrayal of another friend. There was no best-case scenario, only scenarios that vexed me to the point where my faith in you all wavered. I doubted my trust of you all, and even now I have doubt in my heart, but would Tokunaga want that? He thought so highly of everyone when we had our chats in the library, and he was a constant source of strength for me. Now, I have to be strong for him, so I tell myself he would not want me to doubt my friends. So, I'm going to fight. I'll find whoever killed him, whoever killed Ouji, and bring them to justice!"

I was jealous of Yoneda. Within himself he had found strength given to him by his powerful loyalty to his friend. I didn't have that. I didn't have a Tokunaga, someone whom I could lean on when my troubles grew.  _ At least, not anymore _ . I risked a glance over at Miyagawa, who was still examining Ouji.  _ Has Miyagawa been trying to get me to be strong? Was that why he protected me in that class trial? _ I felt a bitter regret and looked away from Miyagawa. I didn't have time to let my personal feelings obstruct the investigation, but this new feeling that had surfaced showed no intent on disappearing.

"Thank you, Yoneda," said Morino, "your testimony has been most helpful. Just to clarify, you didn't see Ouji at all?" Yoneda shook his head.

"No, I didn't see her today," said Yoneda, "but I was under the impression she was in her dormitory because she was ill. I believe she spent time with Mina and Iowa yesterday, though. You should speak with them."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked. Yoneda's expression darkened.

"Of course not, but I don't have the option to grieve. Once survival is assured, I will. Now, if you don't mind, I believe you have other areas to go to, and others to question. I'd like some time alone with my thoughts before I help Miyagawa." We thanked him for his help and left him be. We walked over to Miyagawa, who had now stood, apparently done with his examination.

"Miyagawa," began Morino, "do you mind if we ask you a couple of questions?" Miyagawa looked at us and frowned.

"Actually, can your questions wait? I want to finish my autopsies, and I need to check both of them for external injuries they may have suffered that are hidden beneath their clothes. So, you'll need to leave the room for now. However, once I'm finished, I'll send you a message, Morino." He didn't even glance in my direction as he walked past us to attend to Tokunaga's corpse.

"We should go," I said uneasily, "we have lots to cover." Morino agreed and we left the classroom.

"Where should we go first?" Morino asked once we were out of earshot.

"Let's start on this floor," I decided, "we can work our way down some floors and then return to get Miyagawa's testimony." Morino nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't noticed Miyagawa's terse attitude. We strolled towards the far end of the third-floor corridor, to the science lab. Once there, we found Nishi and Mitsumi. As I had expected, they were investigating the metal cabinet that was the source of the motive. We greeted them and asked if they had found anything.

"There are lots of things that are odd," Nishi began, "but then Mitsumi said we should check out the cabinet, as that's where the motive was hidden. So, we came to see if anything was taken but... well, you can see for yourselves." He gestured towards the object in question, and Morino and I peered to our rights to see that the cabinet was still locked.

"Did the traitor not escape? Or did they lock the cabinet after taking what was inside?" I asked. Morino stepped forward to take a closer look at its front.

"The lock isn't even scratched," he stated, "so even if the traitor did obtain the key, they haven't used it. But why?" I checked the lock myself to see if Morino was right, and was equally surprised to find that the lock was completely spotless.

"So, that m-means the k-killer is s-still in the s-school?" whimpered Mitsumi.

"Yes, and if the killer isn't the traitor," I said grimly, "then that means we have two people working against us." I gulped at the realisation.

"Well, let's not think about that for now," chimed in Nishi, "we have other things to show you guys." With one last glance at the cabinet, Nishi and Mitsumi took Morino and I to the garden. Once there, we were immediately greeted with where I had already assumed the rock that had killed Ouji had come from. The gravestone, which the boys had worked so hard to erect for us, was now desecrated. The rocks lay haphazardly on the ground and the candles were crushed. The portraits seemed untouched, but I looked closer and noted that there were only three intact sheets of paper.

"Sanda's portrait was destroyed, presumably when the killer was ransacking the grave," Nishi informed us, noticing my inquisitive eyes.

"Y-you worked so hard on them, Nishi," said Mitsumi between sobs, "and n-now it's ruined."

"If we survive the class trial, Mitsumi, I'll draw her again," Nishi told him. "Besides, there are two more portraits to join them."

"But for the time being," Morino cut in, "we need to focus on why the grave was tampered with at all. Obviously, the rock we found in the classroom came from Nishi and Mitsumi's construction project, but how was it transported to the classroom?"

"We looked in the shed at the back of the room, and we did find a couple of things missing," Nishi mentioned.

"How do you know they're missing?" I asked.

"There's a c-catalogue that l-lists all the items," Mitsumi told us, "so w-we checked the items and c-compared them t-to the catalogue."

"The only things missing were a handsaw and wheelbarrow," added Nishi grimly, "the missing wheelbarrow is clearly the one we found Tokunaga's body in, but I'm not sure about the handsaw."

"I imagine," I said, nausea swelling in my stomach, "that the handsaw was used to sever Tokunaga'a arms and legs." Nishi looked at the ground when I said this.

"Who the fuck would do this?" he muttered. "To murder not one, but two of our friends."

"We don't yet know that the same person murdered both Ouji and Tokunaga," Morino reminded us, "there could be two killers out there, so we need to make sure we inspect everything. This brings me to my next question: can the both of you describe where you were and what you were doing yesterday afternoon and this morning?" They both nodded.

"We were together the entire time, so our testimonies match," Nishi began with a smile. "After the motive was revealed yesterday, Mitsumi and I were in the garden with Ouji and Morihei. At some point, Ouji left to go and meet with someone elsewhere. About a few hours later, Ouji came back with some food she had cooked and the three of us were doing gardening until about nine in the evening. Morihei never left the insectarium next to the shed, so we can testify where she was until nighttime. Mitsumi stayed in my room, and when we woke up we headed to the garden instead of going to breakfast. We saw Sazzy en route and explained where we were going, and then left for the garden. That was when we discovered the grave in its current state."

"I w-was v-very s-sad," explained Mitsumi, "so Nishi c-cheered me up with s-some m-more gardening."

"But then," continued Nishi, "we received a message from Yoneda to say that Tokunaga was missing and that everyone except Ouji and you, Ori, were looking for him. Since we were already on the third floor, Mitsumi and I decided to look around for him, but we couldn't find him. Eventually, we were joined by Miyagawa who suggested we search classroom 3-A, because it was the only room we hadn't investigated due to our agreement to never go back in. That was when we found Ouji, and Monomenon's announcement played on the intercom." Nishi took a deep breath, finishing his recount of events. Morino hummed in thought.

"Well, since you two were together the whole time, we can almost certainly rule you out as suspects," he said, and both boys were visibly relieved, "and you've also given statements for a few of the others, which we can compare later when we speak to them."

"Is there anything else you want to tell us?" I asked. "Anything at all?" For a while, neither boy said anything, but then Mitsumi piped up.

"It m-may be nothing," he stammered, "but I s-saw something when w-we found Ouji. I d-didn't go into the r-room b-because I d-don't like the s-sight of b-blood, so when I was s-standing outside I noticed that there w-were really f-faint dented scuff m-m-marks in the carpet."

"Scuff marks? We didn't see anything like that."

"They w-were really small, about the s-size of a f-fifty-pence p-piece, and there w-were two in t-total."

"Did you take a picture?" Morino asked, but Mitsumi shook his head.

"N-n-no, I didn't think they w-would be important. I'm so s-s-sorry..."

"It's okay," I reassured him, "you were in shock, we all were. We'll look for them on our way to see the others. Thank you, Mitsumi." The shorter boy sniffled and nodded. Morino and I asked if there was anything else to add, but they declined. They said they would continue searching and if they found anything, they would bring it up during the trial. We thanked them once again and left the garden and walked over to the entrance to the crime scene. As Mitsumi had said, there were two small dents in the corridor's carpeting; I hastily took a picture in fear they suddenly disappeared.

"So, what are your thoughts so far, Ori?" Morino asked me as we stepped inside the elevator and began descending to the second floor.

"It seems they both were killed during nighttime. We know that both Ouji and Tokunaga were alive until nighttime, but I am unsure about the order of their deaths. My hunch is that Tokunaga died first."

"And why's that?"

"Iowa mentioned something this morning. She, Mina and Ouji were all planning on cooking our breakfast this morning, but Mina overslept and Iowa received a message from Ouji to say that she was suffering a headache and wouldn't be at breakfast. Since we know that she was alive at breakfast, it seems more likely that Tokunaga was murdered first. Also, dismembering him would have taken some time, and the best opportunity to have done that would have been during the night, when everyone was asleep."

"I see, that makes sense," said Morino, "we should ask Iowa about that when we find them." The elevator jolted and came to a halt, and we stepped out onto the second-floor corridor. It did not take us long to locate Iowa and Saza in the games room, looking around for anything that stood out.

"Hi girls," I said at the entrance, "how is your search going?" They took a break from their search to greet us.

"Hello, Ori," said Saza cheerfully, "our search is fine, but we haven't found anything yet." This was unsurprising to me; except perhaps the library and music hall, none of the rooms was a hot-spot for Ouji nor for Tokunaga. On top of that, Yoneda had already testified where Tokunaga was before he went missing, so it would have been strange had anything been discovered here.

"That makes sense," said Morino, who had apparently come to a similar conclusion, "we already know the whereabouts of both victims leading up to last night. While Tokunaga spent a lot of time in the library with Yoneda, there was no indication that Ouji ever came here. Given that both bodies were found in the same room, it seems even more likely that most evidence would be on that floor."

"What about the storeroom?" I asked, but Iowa and Saza both shook their heads.

"If anything was taken from there, it's not obvious what," Saza replied, "nothing as obvious as a javelin mounted on a wall, at least." The reference to Edward's visitation to the storeroom made me shudder.

"Well, perhaps it's better we don't focus on that," said Morino, "but since we found you both, would you mind telling us your whereabouts? We need to cross-examine your testimonies with what the others have said."

"Woah you sound so professional, Morino!" Saza joked, and I saw Morino's cheeks tint a very faint pink. "Well, I suppose I can start. Yesterday afternoon, I was with Iowa for a short while, but I spent most of the day by myself in the games room."

"Why were you there?" Morino asked.

"Well, ever since Uehara died," she said sadly, "nobody has been able to play with Mina. I thought that if I learned to use what's in the game room, Mina could have someone else to spend time with. It's not the same as Uehara being alive, but it's better than Mina remaining isolated."

"Okay, and then where were you this morning?" Morino questioned.  _ Wow,  _ I thought,  _ he didn't even spare a moment to thank Saza for being so thoughtful _ .

"This morning, I went to breakfast at the normal time," Saza told us, "and I saw big bro and his 'boyfriend' in the corridor. They told me that they were skipping breakfast and going to the third floor to check on the gravestone and do some flower arrangements. I didn't think to stop them, since they had each other. When I went to breakfast, I met with Ori and Miyagawa. Ori was then ill, and so I helped Iowa and Miyagawa take care of her. When Miyagawa carried Ori away, I stayed with Mina and Iowa in the kitchen. Some time later, Miyagawa and Yoneda came to us and explained that Tokunaga hadn't been seen that morning. Iowa, Mina and I immediately came to this floor of the school before... Ouji was found." Saza's differently-coloured eyes glistened as the memory of what we were investigating returned to her.

"As for me," continued Iowa, resting a hand on Saza's shoulder, "I was with Saza for about thirty minutes before she left for the games room. Then, I spent the rest of the day with Mina in the kitchen, because I wanted to distract her from learning what Saza was planning. Ouji joined us both in the evening, as she wanted to prepare an evening meal for herself, Morihei, Nishi and Mitsumi who were all on the third floor. Or, that's what she said to us, at the very least. Once Mina and I were exhausted from cooking and practicing food preparation, we returned to our dormitories, but we didn't see anyone. This morning, I got up early as normal to go and make breakfast for everyone, where I encountered you, Ori. I had made plans with Ouji and Mina to make breakfast together, but Ouji had sent me a message via the Seiko-pad, telling me that she was unwell with a headache and would be unable to help. I knocked on Mina's door, but I assumed she was still asleep. After that... my testimony is the same as Saza's."

"This message you got from Ouji," Morino began, "can you remember what time it was sent?" Iowa retrieved her Seiko-pad from her pocket and pressed something on the screen a few times.

"It says here she sent it at four o'clock this morning," she said in surprise. "In truth, I hadn't thought to check what time I had received the message. Why was she awake at that hour?"

"I'm not sure that's what we should be focusing on," I said, "we now know that she was still alive at that time."

"And why is that important?" Saza asked.

"Do you remember what the bears said? They told us that in the next class trial, we need to figure out who was murdered first and who killed them. Our first priority should therefore be ascertaining who was murdered first - your testimony may help us do just that."

"I'm glad," Iowa smiled, "though I wish we weren't doing this in the first place. To think that one of us, perchance even two, could have done something so cruel is unimaginable. Have we not suffered enough?"

"Monoworth and Monomenon will not stop until we all die," I told her.

"I know that, but still," she didn't finish her sentence, because Morino interrupted her.

"Thank you, both," he said without looking at them. In his hands, he was swiftly typing some notes onto his own Seiko-pad, but before I could glance at what he was writing, he switched it off and returned it to his pocket. "If there is nothing else to report, then Ori and I will be on our way." Without waiting for a response, Morino turned on his heel and left the room. With a brief, apologetic and vexed look at both Saza and Iowa, I took long strides to catch up with Morino, who was almost at the elevator's entrance. Once we were inside and again descending to the first floor, I asked him:

"Do you have any ideas?" He was frowning, which concerned me.

"None at all," he admitted. "There are a few of us who I suspect more than others, but there are questions that I haven't been able to answer based on the evidence we have so far."

"What questions are those?" I pressed.

"First of all, I am unsure why Tokunaga was on the third floor during nighttime, nor do I know why both bodies were in that classroom. Then there's the issue with the wheelbarrow, the marks outside the crime scene and Tokunaga's missing body parts. Nothing is fitting into place. Whoever the killer or killers are, they have been very thorough, and I am concerned about what we will discover, or lack thereof." I grumbled. If even Morino, by far the most capable at solving the mysteries, was struggling, then that was a bad omen.  _ But could one of us really outsmart Morino? _ I barely had any time to register this thought before the elevator once again came to a sudden stop and opened its metallic maw to the first floor of the school, where this nightmare had begun.

\---

We found Mina and Morihei in the area by the dormitories. They had just exited the room with Tokunaga's nameplate on it, crestfallen expressions on their faces, which changed when they saw Morino and I.

"Ori! Morino! You're here!" cheered Mina, and she gripped us both in a tight squeeze. Morino was mortified by the gesture, and tried to pry her off, but Mina's embraces had proved inescapable. Morihei laughed loudly at his reaction.

"Does this mean you've both checked on the others?" she asked once she had stopped laughing. I nodded.

"Yes, we've had lots of information so far," I then relayed the basics of what we had found. Morihei looked more and more confused as I told her what we had discovered. However, Mina was as white as a sheet; she had not seen Tokunaga's corpse, so when she heard that his limbs were missing, she was naturally horrified.

"There's no way one of us did that," she whispered, swaying slightly in shock. "They cut his fucking arms and legs off?"

"Have they been found?" Morihei asked worriedly, but I shook my head. "Oh heavens..."

"That aside," Morino continued, "we will have plenty of time to discuss that in the trial. For now, would you two tell us what you've discovered on this floor? I see that you have just finished investigating Tokunaga's room." Morihei cleared her throat.

"We have found a few things, actually, but it's not good news." It was then that I noticed that Mina was holding several pieces of paper in her hand. She noticed me looking and held them out to me, and I gently took them from her. There were three sheets of paper in total.

"Are these pieces of evidence you're submitting?" I asked.

"Yes, we found the top sheet in Tokunaga's room," Mina said, "it's a note from someone." I read the note aloud.

_ I have the key. I need your help to escape the academy. Meet me on the third floor at midnight sharp - only you can help me. _

"Do you know who wrote this?" I quizzed them. Morihei nodded, but her body language was apprehensive.

"We compared the handwriting in the note to everyone's handwriting here," said Morihei slowly, "and the closest match was Ouji. The other two sheets is a letter she seemed to have written to her parents." I held the letter and the note in each of my hands and looked at them side by side. As Morihei had informed us, the penmanship was identical on both documents, so there was no doubt that Ouji had written this note to Tokunaga, but I couldn't understand how they had both become victims of murder.

"Were you able to find anything else?" Morino asked, but the girls shook their heads.

"Not yet, but I am doubtful that anything else will surface," Morihei replied, "but we'll keep looking."

"Do you two know who did it?" Mina asked hopefully. I looked down at the floor, and Mina's shoulders sagged.

"I see."

"Don't give up yet, Mina," Morihei told her with a smile, "Ori always figures things out during the trials. So, we have to work hard too like her, okay?" Mina nodded fervently and seemed to shake away her sadness as quickly as it had come.

"No problem! Do you guys need anything else?"

"Your testimonies and alibis, please," requested Morino. "Yours are the only ones we're missing right now."

"Of course," agreed Morihei happily, "since you've spoken with the others, you probably already know that I was in the insectarium all of yesterday. I briefly spoke with Ouji as she very kindly made some food for me. This morning, I went immediately back to the beetles on the third floor. I informed Ouji of this, but if she was dead then obviously she wouldn't have seen my message. I guess that makes me pretty suspicious, doesn't it?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Morihei?"

"Funny, isn't it? I accuse Ori of being Uehara's killer, and now I'm a suspect in this case. How ironic." Mina, looking over at Morihei, went over to her and gave her a soft embrace.

"It's okay, Morihei, I believe you didn't kill them," she said quietly. Morihei smiled down at her and returned the favour, thanking Mina as she did so.  _ How can you believe in her so easily, Mina?  _ Then, Mina began telling us her version of events.

"I was in the games room after the motive was revealed. At some point, I was summoned by Iowa to the kitchen, as she wanted some help preparing food for the others. I was more than happy to help, so she and I were together the whole evening. Ouji came by, as Morihei said, to make food for those on the third floor. She, Iowa and I all agreed to meet the next morning to make breakfast for everyone, but I overslept and arrived at the cafeteria late, but only Ori and Iowa were there." After that, Mina's testimony matched what we had heard from Iowa, Saza and Yoneda, so once the girls had finished explaining their movements, we thanked them and returned to the elevator. We still had to check Miyagawa's testimony, as well as learn the results of the autopsies. But when we arrived at the second floor, Monomenon's voice echoed throughout the academy.

"My darling detectives," he screeched, "your time is up!" I froze.  _ What? But we haven't finished investigating! We still don't don't have any leads! _ "Please would all you pathetic little worms gather to the trial chamber as soon as possible!" There was a popping sound and the bear's voice disappeared.

"So, they really want to make this hard for us," Morino muttered irritably.

"Do you think we can do this?" I asked worriedly as we waited for the others to gather.

"I think," he said with a pause, "that as long as we have your talent, we should be fine." He offered me an unconvincing attempt at a smile.  _ He should stick to frowning.  _ Yoneda, Miyagawa, Nishi and Mitsumi turned the corner and walked towards us. Miyagawa and Yoneda were visibly pale, the latter leaning on Nishi's tall frame for support. My eyes made contact with Miyagawa's, but he swiftly turned his gaze away. I looked down at the ground, ashamed. We all waited, not saying a word to one another, as the lift rose to our floor. Inside, the girls were already waiting, their expressions equally saddened. The only sound that could be heard as the elevator took us to our next trial was the occasional sob from Yoneda. Nishi rubbed his back gently and said something that seemed to cheer the Ultimate Polyglot up. I looked over at Miyagawa once again, but he was focused on his Seiko-pad. I knew he was aware I was looking at him, but he was ignoring me.  _ Can you blame him, Ori?  _ A voice in my head whispered.  _ You betrayed his trust by not believing him. Don't be mad with him, be mad with yourself. You're a stupid girl, Ori, for thinking that anyone like him would like you. _ I shook my head furiously and focused on the intolerable grating sound as gears and chains ground together as we continued to rise.

Once we arrived, we did as was expected and found our way to our designated podiums and waited for Monoworth and Monomenon. This was it, the beginning of the third class trial. But this time, we didn't know who the victim of the trial was. Was it Ouji, the sweet, endearing and charming girl whose head had been crushed? Or was it the quiet Tokunaga, who had acted defiantly against the bears, but had faced a fate more gruesome than someone like him could ever deserve? Whoever the victim was, one of us had killed them, and I couldn't forgive that person. In my head, the only possible resolution was the execution of the monster that rid the world of two wonderful souls.

With a cackle, Monomenon and Monoworth's rose from the ground on their thrones, and the third trial began.


	30. Double Deceit

“So, are you fuckers ready for your third, class trial? I’m practically soiling myself with excitement!” giggled Monomenon as we readied ourselves for the beginning of the end of another student’s life.

“Your job in this class trial,” reminded Monoworth, “is to discover which of the victims died first, as well as the identity of the wonderful murderer who snuffed out their life. The verdict that you reach will not have anything to do with the second victim and whoever killed them.”

“But there’s no reason for us to not discuss the second victim and their killer, is there?” asked Morino.

“What? Why would you want to waste our time doing that?” Monoworth responded.

“Because the crimes are undoubtedly connected,” Morihei claimed, “given that we found both bodies in the same room.”

“Also, both Tokunaga and Ouji were our friends,” said Saza through gritted teeth, “so there’s no way we’d just ignore one of them simply because it’s a waste of  _ your  _ time.”

“I see,” pondered Monoworth, “so you humans are still clinging onto the farcical notion of sentimentalism. Well, I suppose it would be impossible to convince you otherwise, but soon there won’t be many of you left to feel sentimental for.”

“Let’s just get on with the trial,” I interrupted, “entertaining the bears won’t do us any good.”

“I agree,” said Yoneda. “I want to know who killed Tokunaga. Ouji too, but Tokunaga was my best friend here. And someone in this room killed him.” Compared to before, Yoneda was no longer crying. He stood at his podium, a fury blazing in his eyes. For the first time since arriving at the academy, Yoneda scared me.

“Then, shall I start with the results of both autopsies?” asked Miyagawa, his face still pale from the ordeal. We all nodded, and he began to tell us his findings. “I shall start with Ouji’s death. She received several fractures to her skull as a result of multiple blunt force traumas inflicted to the area. Her face, forehead and crown were are all irreparably damaged and crushed by the weapon, which I can only assume was the rock that was found next to her body. I could not find any other external injuries. Tokunaga’s cause of death is likely the three identical lacerations to his throat – such an injury would have caused instant death. He also could have choked on his own blood. For those who did not look at his body, his arms and legs have also been severed with a sharp tool and removed from the scene of the crime. The cuts were clean and precise, which suggests that the person who did this knew what they were doing. I checked where I could for external injuries but found none, and since his limbs were not recovered during the investigation, I can offer no guess as to whether they bore any marks.”

“Someone cut off his arms and legs?” Saza muttered in horror. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Miyagawa confirmed grimly, “however there are some questions that became apparent to Yoneda as I checked their bodies. Firstly, there is no evidence to suggest whether there is one or two killers, so I’m afraid we must figure this out during the trial. Secondly, it seems that the killing blow to Tokunaga and the removal of his limbs happened at different times.”

“At different times?” Nishi repeated. “But what could that mean?”

“Well, for one,” replied Miyagawa, “it could mean that two separate people are behind each attack on Tokunaga’s body. Alternatively, Tokunaga’s killer could have sliced his throat, done something else to the crime scene, and then returned to Tokunaga’s body to remove his arms and legs.”

“But why would they wait?” Nishi pressed.

“There could be several reasons,” Yoneda interjected, “but the main one would be to wait for Tokunaga’s heart to stop. Once that happens, blood will no longer be spraying from his body, making the task of dismembering him less messy.”

“Also, the blood on his throat was drier than around his other injuries,” added Miyagawa, “at least, that’s what I think.”

“You think?” Saza asked sceptically.

“In Miyagawa’s defence,” Yoneda stated, “identifying the age of blood is exceedingly difficult without specific equipment used in laboratories. Seiko Academy contains no such thing, so we have to rely on Miyagawa’s talent as the Ultimate Appraiser.”

“I had honestly forgotten what your talent was, Miyagawa,” admitted Saza jokingly, “you spend all your time being grumpy or giving Ori puppy-eyes that I didn’t even think you could do anything else.” Miyagawa visibly stiffened and glowered at Saza, who raised an eyebrow in response. “What’s the matter?”

“Don’t derail the discussion, Sazzy,” Nishi scolded. Saza shrugged.

“So, who do you think died first?” Iowa asked Miyagawa.

“In my view,” he responded, “it seems more likely that Ouji was the first victim. Killing Tokunaga, waiting for his blood to dry and then dismembering him would have taken a long time, so I think it would have been done after Ouji’s demise.”

“Alternatively, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to assume that Tokunaga was killed first,” argued Yoneda. “As you said, committing those atrocities on his body would have taken some time. So, is it not possible that the killer took care of all those things first, then killed Ouji afterwards?”

“To determine that,” I said, “we would need to know who arrived at the third floor first. If Ouji was there before Tokunaga, then how would the culprit have murdered Tokunaga and removed his limbs without being caught by Ouji? Furthermore, if Ouji had arrived after Tokunaga, the culprit was still taking a huge risk to do what they did to Tokunaga without getting caught.”

“I agree with Ori,” Morino stated, “it seems unlikely that Tokunaga died first - the preparations for his demise would have taken too much time, Ouji definitely would have been suspicious that he didn’t arrive.” Yoneda thought for a moment and frowned deeply, but then nodded. A silent gesture of reluctant acceptance.

“Are we all agreeing to follow Miyagawa’s assumption?” Nishi presented the question to us all. “Shall we begin the discussion with Ouji’s death?” We reached a unanimous decision, but then:

“Can I say something?” came Iowa’s voice as she raised her hand tentatively into the air.

“What is it, Iowa?” Saza queried.

“Well, you see,” Iowa began slowly, “I received a message on my Seiko-pad this morning. A message from Ouji. She, Mina and I had all agreed to wake up early this morning so that we all could make breakfast together, but Ouji had a headache that morning and Mina overslept.”

“I said I was sorry,” Mina mumbled. Iowa shook her head.

“It’s fine, Mina. However, if Ouji was still alive when she sent me that message, is it really the case that Tokunaga died second? If the alterations to his body took as long as you suggest, wouldn’t it be more logical that he died first?”

“Only if we are to assume that Ouji sent that message to you,” countered Morino. Iowa frowned.

“What do you mean? Who else could have sent it?”

“Do you think it’s possible that Ouji’s killer sent you that message after murdering her?” Iowa’s eyes widened in a way that made it clear she had not thought of that.

“I should add,” interrupted Miyagawa, “that Ouji’s Seiko-pad was not on her person when I was conducting my autopsies”

“Morihei and I searched Ouji’s room,” added Mina, “but we didn’t see her Seiko-pad there.”

“What time did you receive the message, Iowa?” asked Saza.

“It was four o’clock this morning,” Iowa confirmed, “but I did not check the timestamp when I first received the message, so I had no reason to think that she may be dead. Are you saying then, Morino, that she was dead before four o’clock? And that her killer stole her Seiko-pad to make it look like she was still alive at that time?”

“That’s exactly what I believe,” Morino affirmed. “In my view, Ouji’s murderer took her Seiko-pad in order to confuse us all about the sequence of events leading to both deaths. They wanted us to think that Ouji was still alive at a time that would suggest she was murdered after Tokunaga. In truth, Tokunaga was killed after Ouji.”

“B-b-but,” whimpered Mitsumi, “if the k-killer wanted to o-obfuscate the order of the d-deaths, then they m-m-must have a-already known that Tokunaga w-was dead.”

“Is that a problem, Mimi?” Nishi asked him. Mitsumi blushed at the use of his nickname.

“Nishi, please don’t call me… never mind. A-anyway, if the k-killer knew that T-Tokunaga was d-dead, d-doesn’t it seem m-more likely that the s-same p-p-person murdered both of them?”

“What’s your point?” demanded Morino. Mitsumi flinched a little at the biting tone to Morino’s voice but swallowed and continued to talk.

“I-if the s-same person k-killed them b-both,” Mitsumi explained, “then what w-was the motive? The m-motive presented by Monoworth would be irrelevant t-to this c-case if your l-logic is sound.” I started. That was a good point. The key, the motive for this trial, could only be held and used by one person, so there was no reason for there to be two murders. All the killer had to do was find out who possessed the key, murder them and then escape with the information in the cabinet. Murdering two people was unnecessary. But there were indeed two murders and no escapee.  _ What happened? _

“Perhaps Tokunaga accidentally walked in on the killer murdering Ouji,” Saza suggested, “and was murdered to make sure there weren’t any witnesses.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Morihei, shaking her head. She pressed a button on her Seiko-pad and the image of the note she had found in Ouji’s room flashed on my screen.

“What’s this?” Miyagawa asked.

“While Mina and I were investigating Tokunaga’s room,” Morihei told him, “we found this note inside, instructing him to meet with Ouji on the third floor at midnight.”

“How do you know Ouji wrote this?” Miyagawa questioned, but Morihei was one step ahead and had already changed the photograph on our screens to the second documents she had already shown to Morino and I.

“I did a handwriting analysis of everyone here and the victims, and the only match to this note was Ouji.”

“Morihei was so smart to think of that!” cheered Mina. “She was like a real detective – it was so cool!” Morihei smiled and flushed slightly.

“That aside,” the Ultimate Coleopterist continued, “if the note was in Tokunaga’s room, then presumably only he and Ouji knew about their scheduled meeting.”

“He still could have encountered the culprit murdering Ouji,” insisted Saza, “if the killer didn’t know about their meeting, they still could have murdered Ouji before he arrived.”

“But there’s another problem,” responded Morihei, folding her arms, “the location of the crime.”

“The location? You mean Classroom 3-A?”

“Exactly. The note only mentions the third floor, not the specific room where he would be able to unite with Ouji. How would Tokunaga know to go a room that we all agreed to never set foot inside? The only way I can think of is if he and Ouji went there together.”

“But why use that classroom at all?” Nishi posed to her.

“Well, if the discussion was about the key, as the note says,” she theorised, “then my best guess would be that they wanted to use Classroom 3-A to avoid any outside disturbance. If anybody went to the third floor, we would not suspect at all that they were in a classroom we collectively decided was prohibited.”

“I think we are getting side-tracked,” I interrupted the conversation, noticing a deviation from the original topic, “we are trying to decide who was killed first. We can consider the logistics afterwards.”

“She’s right,” Morino agreed, “we can argue about who killed whom later, but right now we need to settle as a group that we all acknowledge that Ouji died first.” We all agreed somewhat sadly; Yoneda in particular looked upset by this. I remembered what he had said during the investigation – he was probably worried that we would forget about Tokunaga and focus only on Ouji’s death. But since the events of last night involved both of them, I felt the urge to tell him that we could never forget what happened to his friend. But the debate moved forward.

“What should we start with?” Iowa proposed.

“We should start with answering how she was killed,” stated Morino.

“Obviously, the rock was the murder weapon,” Nishi said.

“There was a handprint on the rock,” I confirmed, “so there is no doubt of this.” Nishi nodded and continued.

“We know that she was murdered in Classroom 3-A. But there’s something that’s bothering me.”

“What’s that, big bro?” Saza inquired of him.

“If she was killed there, how was the culprit able to move that heavy rock from the garden all the way to the classroom? Aside from Hatanaka, I’m probably the only one here who could manage that, and I definitely wouldn’t make a mess of something that I worked hard to create with Mitsumi.” The memory of Miyagawa’s toned and attractive body from the pool party flashed in my mind, but I fought the urge to mention that Miyagawa could possibly lift the rock; I did not want to give away that I had been checking him out.

“Ori and I were also curious about the utility of such a cumbersome object as a weapon,” agreed Morino, “not only is there an issue surrounding its transportation, but we also have to consider how it was used.”

“The handprint we found in the investigation,” I said, carrying on the line of debate that Morino had started, “greatly implies that the culprit was holding the rock when it struck Ouji’s head. However, we were unable to ascertain the exact method in which it was used to take her life.”

“Perhaps the killer threw it at her head,” Mina suggested.

“But Ori said that the killer was holding the rock when they committed their crime,” Nishi replied, “which is why a handprint was left behind. So, they wouldn’t have thrown it. Besides, I’m still the only student capable of throwing rocks of that size, or at least throwing it hard enough to kill someone, but I already said why I wouldn’t.”

“Perhaps the killer set up some sort of catapult and launched it at Ouji,” Mina said with a pout, as if determined to correctly guess the answer.

“That’s even less likely than throwing it,” I retorted.

“Gah! Okay so what if they stood over her and dropped it on her?” Mina shouted in frustration, but I hesitated.

“That’s not a bad suggestion, Mina,” Yoneda commented. Mina looked at him in surprise.

“Really? I mean, of course! I knew it!” she recovered quickly from her puzzlement, much to everyone’s annoyance.

“Though, e-even if that is the c-case,” Mitsumi argued, “that w-would m-mean that Ouji was somehow incapacitated. There’s no w-way she w-would  _ let _ that h-happen to her.”

“Mitsumi’s right,” Yoneda added, adjusting the frames of his glasses, “the rock couldn’t have been used accurately if the target were moving. It’s far more logical that Ouji was unconscious or somehow immobilised before she was murdered.”

“That may explain something I found during the autopsy,” Miyagawa mentioned, and we all turned to him. “There were faint traces of wooden fibres on the back of her head. I had first assumed that this was from her blood mixing with debris on the floor, but if we are proposing that she was unconscious, it is quite possible that her killer used a piece of broken furniture in the classroom to knock her out.”

“In conclusion,” said Yoneda, “the culprit put Ouji out of commission, which then allowed them to silence her permanently using the rock.”

“You don’t have to word it so morbidly,” muttered Mina.

“I do have an objection,” said Morihei, “regarding the note. It instructs Tokunaga to meet Ouji at midnight. Therefore, the culprit must have completed their first murder before midnight. But how did they even know that Tokunaga was due to arrive?”

“Perhaps the note was fabricated?” I suggested, but Morihei shook her head.

“But who would have known Ouji’s handwriting prior to the murder?” I didn’t have an answer to that, so I let her continue. “So, the question we have to ask ourselves is why the culprit was on the third floor in the first place? Answering that may point to a clue.”

“Ori and Morino went around and checked everyone’s alibis, yes?” Iowa brought up, and I nodded. I looked over to Morino, who already seemed to be collecting his thoughts.

“I believe that the first students we can rule out, at least for Ouji’s death, are Nishi, Mitsumi, Iowa and Mina.”

“Yay! I’m not a suspect!” Mina shouted. Morino ignored her.

“Nishi and Mitsumi corroborate each other’s alibis for yesterday and this morning.”

“Do you ever spend time apart?” Miyagawa asked, and both boys’ cheeks turned red faster than a set of traffic lights.

“Nishi is j-just v-very n-nice to me, and I l-like spending t-time with him.”

“Yeah, Mitsumi and I are just best friends. There’s nothing wrong with that.” I noticed that Saza was desperately fighting to hide her giggling. Next to her, Iowa elbowed her playfully.

“As I was saying,” coughed Morino, “we can also rule out Iowa and Mina as they were together all evening also.”

“Can I add something?” interrupted Nishi.

“What is it?”

“Mitsumi and I were with Ouji most of yesterday evening, and we even returned to the first floor with her.”  _ What?  _ I blinked at him in surprise.

“That’s… the first I heard of this,” Morino said suspiciously, echoing my thoughts.

“I did tell you that we could testify where she was all evening,” Nishi told him.

“What time did you return to the first floor with her?” I demanded.

“It w-was half past e-eleven,” Mitsumi informed us.

“What?” I exclaimed, causing Mitsumi to recoil slightly.

“Ori, what’s wrong?” Yoneda asked.

“This changes everything,” I told them, “because it severely narrows down the time frame for what happened to Ouji.”

“How so?” The question came from Saza.

“If Ouji returned to the first floor at that time, she will have returned to her room to make Nishi and Mitsumi believe she had gone to bed. However, in the next thirty minutes, she had returned to the third floor and become a victim of murder.”

“That’s true,” whispered Yoneda in shock. “She must have returned to the third floor almost as soon as she had bid goodnight to Nishi and Mitsumi.”

“Furthermore, the elevator is rather slow,” added Morino, “so I doubt that anyone else would have had time to travel to the third floor between Ouji and Tokunaga’s individual journeys.”

“So, the killer is someone who was on the third floor before either of them got there,” concluded Nishi.

“But is there anyone who fits that criteria?” Mina quizzed.

“Yes, there is one person,” I said sadly. That person already knew they were a prime suspect. I turned to them and found myself faced with a knowing smile.

“That would be me,” was the accepting voice of Morihei Ane.


	31. The Suspect Who Suspects Themselves

We all looked at Morihei, some with faces of confusion, some with fear, others with shock.

“Wait, are you admitting to the crime, Morihei?” Yoneda asked, horrified. Morihei shook her head, her smile not leaving her face. _Why is she smiling?_

“I admit I am the most suspicious,” she replied, “but we should discuss this before passing any judgement.”

“You’re awfully calm,” Miyagawa noted.

“Don’t worry about that for now,” Morihei told him, “let’s continue the debate for now. Morino, please could you explain to the others why I am the prime suspect?” Even Morino seemed taken aback by Morihei’s willingness to cooperate in naming her the culprit.

“That would be,” he said, mulling over his words, “because you were the only one on the third floor after eleven-thirty. You were the only one who had an opportunity to murder Ouji before midnight, when Tokunaga arrived.”

“Morihei,” whimpered Saza, “is this true? Did you kill Ouji?” Morihei bowed her head. “No…”

“The evidence is certainly balanced out of my favour,” Morihei said firmly, “but there are still some queries we need to address.”

“Such as?” Nishi asked.

“I admit it is possible that I killed Ouji. However, to do that I would have had to have known that Ouji was the student who received the cabinet key from Monoworth. I was in the insectarium all day after the motive was announced, which Nishi and Mitsumi can attest to, so it is impossible that I discovered Ouji’s possession of the motive. Additionally, since I never left the insectarium, how was I to know that Ouji had left with Nishi and Mitsumi? Finally, the insectarium is positioned at the very back of the garden, as far away from the entrance as possible. Therefore, even if Ouji had returned to the third floor, I could not have heard her. The elevator is loud, but not loud enough for the noise to travel all the way to my beetles.” All of Morihei’s arguments were certainly convincing and caused further ripples of confusion to undulate among the group.

“What time did you leave the insectarium, Morihei?” I asked.

“A short while after midnight,” she told me, “as that’s when Monomenon’s twilight announcement plays. I always return to my dormitory when I hear that.”

“But can anyone prove that?” Nishi asked. Morihei shook her head.

“Unfortunately, no. I suppose I have to leave your decision to your belief in me,” she said, her smile disappearing. There was that word again. _Belief. _Did I believe that Morihei would kill Ouji? I wasn’t sure – Morihei was certainly intelligent enough to pull off a crime as complex as this, but there were still too many questions.

“I don’t think we can decide who the culprit is yet,” I said loudly to the group. “But we should answer Morihei’s questions. Let’s start with the Ouji and the key. Does anyone think that it is possible that Morihei knew Ouji had the key?” Everyone was silent.

“And does anyone think they can explain how I knew when Ouji left and returned to the third floor?” Morihei proposed, but for a few moments there was another silence.

“M-maybe it’s not p-possible for Morihei to know w-when Ouji l-left,” Mitsumi pointed out nervously, “b-but she could have s-seen Tokunaga on her w-way to the first f-floor.”

“You did say that you left the insectarium after midnight, Morihei,” added Mina, “so it’s possible you and Tokunaga bumped into one another.”

“Very true,” Morihei hummed, “but even if that’s true, by that point Ouji was already dead, right? That’s what we agreed as a group. I had even less reason to attack Tokunaga given that he wasn’t in possession of the key.” Morihei’s arguments were very convincing, and I was beginning to worry that she was not the killer after all. Yet, I could not think of anyone else that it could be.

“Perhaps you thought Tokunaga was coming to the third floor to use the cabinet, and saw your chance to strike,” suggested Yoneda venomously.

“But we’re not talking about Tokunaga’s death,” Morihei reminded him, and Yoneda bristled. “I want to solve that mystery too, but right now we are discussing whether I killed Ouji. So far, I’m unconvinced.”

“How are you so _calm,_ Morihei?” Saza asked her.

“Because I know what the truth is,” was the response from the Ultimate Coleopterist. “So far, all you have provided are suggestions to coincidences that could have happened, but there is no evidence that confirms that I killed her. There was no opportunity for me to discover who was in possession of the key, nor that Ouji and Tokunaga were meeting in Classroom 3-A.”

“But you are still the prime suspect,” reminded Morino.

“I am aware, Morino,” she told him, “but you have not proven me guilty. In this game, we have to be doubtless in our decisions. So long as someone in this room doubts that I am the killer, then you cannot vote for me.”

“But you have also failed to provide any evidence that proves your innocence,” Yoneda retorted. Morihei sighed.

“Fine,” she said, “then let me ask you this? If I am Ouji’s killer, why am I standing here? If I had killed Ouji, then I would have been able to use the key to escape, correct? So, why didn’t I? Can you answer that?” Nobody could answer that question. Why would someone choose to remain in the academy?

“Is it p-possible that Morihei is the t-t-traitor?” Mitsumi squeaked. My mouth fell open.

“What? Mitsumi, what are you saying?” Even Nishi was startled by what he had just heard.

“I’m only o-offering alternative theories,” Mitsumi said defensively, his eyes shining with tears, “if Morihei is the t-traitor, she m-may not have the d-desire to escape, b-because she is working for the b-bears.”

“Well, Monoworth? Monomenon?” Morino directed the question to our captors.

“Yes, Master Yoshimatsu?”

“Is the traitor working under you?” Morino inquired.

“Is that really a question?” Saza asked. “Obviously, the traitor has to-”

“Nope, we have nothing to do with the traitor in your group,” claimed Monomenon.

“What?” I cried. “You’re saying that one of us has chosen to act against us independently?”

“That’s correct, carrot-top! We don’t know why they’re acting the way they are, but they’re definitely your enemy!”

“So, the traitor would also benefit from escaping this academy?” Morino asked.

“Undoubtedly,” confirmed Monoworth, “we invited them to the academy, just like everyone else. But since Uehara’s death, they have been working against you without our instruction. It is clear they want to escape, and this would have been a good opportunity for them to do so.”

“So why didn’t they escape?”

“That’s for myself and Monoworth to know, and for the rest of you to figure out.” Morino growled at the response and refocused his attention to the debate. For a brief moment, he resembled the Morino we had met on the first day of our nightmare in Seiko Academy.

“In other words, it is unlikely that I am the traitor, since I am still here and participating in the trial,” deduced Morihei. “Does anyone still believe that I am Ouji’s killer?”

“I believe in you, Morihei,” cheered Mina, swaying slightly on the balls of her feet, “you were really helpful in the investigation, so I don’t think you did it.”

“I also find it hard to believe,” admitted Iowa, “that Morihei would kill one of our friends. I certainly don’t think she has ever warranted suspicion to be considered the traitor.” One by one, we all conceded that Morihei was not the killer we were searching for.

“I’m really s-s-sorry, Morihei,” wailed Mitsumi, “I didn’t m-mean to wrongfully accuse y-you. Please f-f-forgive me!”

“Don’t worry, Mitsumi,” Morihei told him affectionately, “I knew that I would eventually be named prime suspect when the trial began. So, I prepared my answers to the questions I thought would come up. Looks like I was right!”

“But now that we’re not suspecting Morihei, we’ve landed right where we started at the beginning of the trial,” Yoneda groaned in frustration.

“He’s right,” Iowa realised, “we spent all that time arguing for nothing. Are we missing something?”

“Perhaps we should discuss something other than who the killer is,” I propositioned, “so that we may learn more about what happened?”

“What are you thinking, Ori?” Nishi asked.

“The meeting between Tokunaga and Ouji has been troubling me since Mina and Morihei found the note in Tokunaga’s room. What was the purpose of that meeting? We know that Ouji was the student who received the key, so why did she summon Tokunaga to that classroom instead of biding her time and escaping?”

“I’ve also been wondering about that,” said Saza thoughtfully, “why was Tokunaga specifically requested to see her? They weren’t best friends, and they didn’t seem to spend a lot of time together.”

“Ouji normally spent time with Miyagawa or Morihei, and Tokunaga was almost always with Yoneda,” Nishi remembered.

“Perhaps discussing the logistics of their meeting will help us figure out how they both died,” said Yoneda hopefully, as though he was happy now that Tokunaga’s death was finally being considered.

“The note does mention that Ouji wanted Tokunaga’s help, and also states that he is the only one who could help her,” Mina noted. “What could Tokunaga do that nobody else could?”

“Perhaps she was going to ask him to investigate the cabinet with her?” Saza proposed, but I was quick to object.

“The rules of the motive were made abundantly clear: only one person would be able to use that key and escape using the information inside. It would make no sense for two people to check it.”

“So, why did Ouji choose to not escape,” asked Yoneda, “and what does that have to do with Tokunaga?”

“Miyagawa,” Morino addressed the Ultimate Appraiser, “were you able to find the key on either corpse?”

“Nothing,” Miyagawa confirmed, “I found no belongings on either body. Whoever killed them must have obtained the key.”

“And that person is still alive?” Saza asked. The group’s mutual silence was the only answer we needed.

“But if the culprit only had to kill Ouji to gain access to the escape route, then how do we explain Tokunaga’s death?” Nishi suddenly said, scratching his head.

“I think w-w need to d-discuss Tokunaga’s d-death also,” Mitsumi added, “the two d-deaths are o-obviously linked… somehow…”

“My first thought would be that he came across the scene of Ouji’s murder as it was happening,” Saza thought aloud, “because we found his body at the same place as Ouji’s.”

“However,” countered Nishi, “we found his body in that wheelbarrow.”

“That’s been bugging me,” Mina chirped, “where did that wheelbarrow come from?”

“There’s a c-catalogue in the g-garden’s shed,” Mitsumi told her, “which has a l-list of all the objects inside. We d-d-discovered that the wheelbarrow h-had b-been removed.”

“Does that he mean he was killed in the garden?” Miyagawa was shocked to hear this, but I already knew that this wasn’t the case.

“No, he was definitely murdered in the classroom,” I said, “otherwise there would be no explanation for the copious amount of blood that was smeared all around the room. Ouji’s injuries couldn’t have produced that much blood, so it has to be his.”

“Furthermore, no traces of blood were found in the garden,” Morino reminded Nishi.

“I guess that’s true. My bad.” The Ultimate Tattoo Artist scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “But then again, isn’t it unusual for his body to be inside the wheelbarrow?”

“The killer potentially put his body there to make us think that he was transported to the classroom after he had been murdered,” I said.

“Forgive my harshness,” interjected Morihei, “but is anyone here strong enough to lift Tokunaga? He… wasn’t small.”

“Nishi is the s-strongest one h-here,” said Mitsumi, a compliment which made the taller boy blush furiously, “but I don’t think he w-would be able to. That’s why I think the c-culprit d-did something else.”

“Something else? What do you mean, Mitsumi?” Iowa asked. Mitsumi gulped.

“Miyagawa m-mentioned that Tokunaga’s arms and l-legs were removed, right?” he asked. “Well, there were t-two items m-m-missing from the g-garden shed.”

“That’s right! A handsaw was also taken!” Nishi exclaimed.

“A handsaw?” Mina shrieked. “Then, the tool that was used to murder Tokunaga was that handsaw?”

“At the very least, it was used to dismember him,” Morino agreed. “His body would have been easier to lift into the wheelbarrow once his arms and legs were severed.”

“Hold on,” Yoneda interrupted, an expression of abject horror in his eyes, “the culprit did something so unnecessarily heinous just so they could _lift him into a wheelbarrow?_” He nearly shouted the last part of his question. I looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet his terrified gaze.

“It’s only a theory, Yoneda,” Morino told him steadily, “but at the moment we can’t get wound up.”

“Yoneda, I know how important Tokunaga was to you,” Mina added, “and I know how you’re feeling. I was the same when Uehara died, and I know that Ouji was the same when Hatanaka was executed. But it was Ouji who reminded me that the class trial is not a time to grieve and let emotional attachment cloud my thoughts. We need to be strong.”

“You said something to us when we were investigating, Yoneda,” I mentioned. He looked at me with a puzzled expression. “You said that Tokunaga had always been a pillar of strength for you in the time we had spent in this academy. You told me that you wanted to bring his killer to justice.”

“But it’s hard,” he whimpered, his voice cracking into crestfallen weeping. “I lost all of my brothers with the last motive, and now I’ve lost my best friend. It is just too much. Why did this happen?”

“Yoneda, do you r-remember what Tokunaga was v-very g-good at?” Mitsumi asked Yoneda. The bespectacled boy sniffled and shook his head, not understanding what Mitsumi was referring to. “He w-would always s-stand up against Monoworth and Monomenon. He was always p-protecting us from g-getting upset. I d-don’t know if the d-dead are able to w-watch from where they are now, b-but I think that if Tokunaga was w-watching now, he’d be cheering y-you on.” Yoneda stared at Mitsumi in surprise, as did everyone else. It was unlike him to say something so profound, and it had seemed to awaken within Yoneda a new lease of determination.

“Mimi’s right,” Nishi said defiantly, earning Mitsumi’s best attempt at a glare in response as he mistakenly used his nickname, “Tokunaga fought, maybe harder than anyone else. We have to fight too, for his sake, and for Ouji’s too!”

“Ugh, I _hate _it when they talk about doing things ‘for the sake of dead,’” whined Monomenon. “You guys do know that a useless sack of human meat cannot watch you from anywhere, right? Tokunaga is dead and, even with all four of his eyes, he isn’t watching you.”

“Oh, be quiet, pathetic ursine brute,” Yoneda cursed. He turned to Mitsumi. “Thank you, Mitsumi. Thank you, everyone.” While I was overjoyed to see his mood had improved, we still had a mystery to solve, and we were still nowhere near an answer.

“So, uh, what were we talking about?” Mina laughed awkwardly.

“My outburst derailed the conversation somewhat,” Yoneda said, “but I think we were talking about the wheelbarrow.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Morihei mumbled, “if that wheelbarrow was not used to transport Tokunaga’s body, then why was it at the crime scene in the first place?”

“The rock seems the obvious answer to that question,” Miyagawa stated, “but obvious answers seems to have done us no favours in these trials.”

“The wheelbarrow would lessen the burden of moving the rock from one place to another,” Iowa said, “and all the culprit would need to do is roll the wheelbarrow from the shed, put one of the rocks from the grave inside and take it to the classroom.”

“But wouldn’t Ouji have noticed someone entering the classroom with a massive slab of stone?” Saza asked cynically. “And wouldn’t she have found that suspicious and acted on it? You know, like running away from someone trying to hit her with a _rock_.”

“If she had come to the realisation that the person had a malicious intent,” Nishi added grimly, “she certainly wouldn’t have just stood around waiting for the killer to bring a stone crashing down on her skull.”

“There was also no sign of a struggle, and Ouji had no external injuries,” Miyagawa added. “As I mentioned before, I found wooden fibres in her hair which I think came from a piece of furniture in that classroom. It seems likely that the culprit knocked her unconscious first, then murdered her.”

“That would give the killer some time to move to the garden and retrieve the wheelbarrow and rock,” admitted Yoneda.

“But they would have walked past the insectarium,” Nishi pointed out, “so wouldn’t Morihei be able to hear them in the shed?” We all looked at her, but her face told us that she had no idea.

“It’s true that I could have heard them, but I didn’t know when Nishi, Mitsumi and Ouji left the garden until this class trial began,” she said, “so even if I did remember hearing anything, which I don’t, I would have just assumed that it was one of those three.”

“Hang on a second, Morihei,” I stopped her. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“Yes, Ori? What is it?”

“You said earlier that you left the insectarium sometime after midnight, after you had heard Monomenon’s evening announcement.”

“That is correct,” she affirmed, “it takes about ten minutes to get from the insectarium to the dormitories.”

“When you left the garden, you obviously walked past the grave. Was it still intact when you walked past it?”

“Why are you asking me… oh my heavens!” Morihei’s hands clasped her mouth as she realised the implication of my question.

“What? What’s going on, Ori?” Yoneda demanded to know. I answered hesitantly.

“The gravestone was untouched until after Morihei left the third floor.”

“Wait, but if that’s the case,” Miyagawa began to say, but I finished his sentence for him.

“Then Ouji was murdered after midnight. After her scheduled meeting time with Tokunaga. If Tokunaga followed Ouji’s instructions, it means that Ouji, Tokunaga were alive on the third floor after midnight, along with our culprit. Everyone’s alibis are now out the window.”

There were gasps and groans from around the trial hall. We were back at square one. Every step we took towards the truth brough with it a new obstacle. This case was proving to become more and more difficult as time went on, and still the truth eluded us like a feather on the wind. I was gradually losing all hope that we would get through this trial and survive. But then I recalled what we all said to Yoneda – we had to be strong. _I _had to be strong.


	32. Sacrifice and Execution

“Are you kidding me?” Mina exclaimed, dramatically throwing herself against her plinth. “We’re back at the beginning?”

“It does seem futile,” conceded Morihei tiredly. I knew we were all exhausted, but we had to press on, lest we all meet the executioner’s blade.

“If Ouji and Tokunaga were both killed after midnight, then nobody has an alibi for the time of their deaths,” I explained. “We should try and narrow down the list of suspects for Ouji’s death, since the purpose of this trial is to find out who murdered her.”

“Is that even possible?” Miyagawa scoffed.

“Yes, because we already talked about it in the trial,” I told him irritably, “Ouji’s killer cannot be someone who fulfils a number of criteria. Firstly, they cannot be someone who spent all afternoon and evening with another student, as they would be witness to one another’s alibi. Secondly, they cannot be a student who was on the second floor during this time, as they would not have known Ouji’s whereabouts.”

“We can also rule out Morihei given that we already discussed whether she was the killer,” Morino added.

“So, who is the culprit?” Iowa asked.

“Well, the list of suspects isn’t one student,” I admitted, “but the prime suspects are Miyagawa, Morino and myself.”

“Huh? Why us three?” Miyagawa was clearly surprised to hear his name.

“We do not satisfy the criteria that Ori spoke of,” Morino explained, “all three of us were alone yesterday. Ori returned to her room, as did I, and Miyagawa was also alone.”

“Hold on,” said Yoneda, “I saw Miyagawa in the library yesterday, and he was there for some time. Doesn’t that fit your criteria of students who can’t be the killer?”

“While that is true,” Morino admitted, “the only person who can attest to that is you, Yoneda. If Tokunaga was still alive and testified the same thing, then Miyagawa would be cleared of suspicion. Therefore, you are also a suspect.”

“Me?” Yoneda shouted. “Why?”

“While you were on the second floor, the only person who can confirm that you were there the whole time is Tokunaga. As he is no longer with us, you are a suspect.”

“This is ridiculous,” sneered Yoneda, “it’s impossible that I would kill Ouji. Why would I kill her?”

“You could ask the same question of the others,” Nishi pointed out. “That’s what we need to figure out.”

“But there’s no evidence that points to the fact that I am the killer,” Yoneda countered. “We’re just basing these assumptions on that fact that we have no alibis during the day. Technically, nobody has an alibi for when the murders happened.”

“But that’s why we’ve been going around in circles throughout the trial,” Saza complained, “because we couldn’t figure out the circumstances to what happened to both Ouji and Tokunaga.”

“It’s almost as though this crime is impossible,” Mina grumbled, “and that nobody could have done it.”

“But someone must have done it,” Miyagawa said.

“E-excuse me…”

“However, we don’t have any leads on who that could be,” Yoneda refuted.

“U-um… if I m-m-may…”

“There must be something,” Saza cried, “I’m getting hungry.”

“Everyone shut up!” Nishi roared. The discussion immediately died, and we all whirled to look at him in shock.

“Why are you shouting, Nishi?” I asked.

“You were all ignoring Mitsumi,” he told us angrily, “he’s been trying to say something, but you all kept talking over him.” I looked at Mitsumi, who was shrinking into his clothes as his face flushed bright red.

“You have something to say, Mitsumi?” Iowa asked him encouragingly, but he shook his head.

“It d-doesn’t m-m-matter,” he replied.

“Please, Mitsumi,” Saza begged, “if you have thought of something, tell us. We’re at an impasse, so any thoughts could help.” Mitsumi looked around with beady, panicked eyes and gulped. He was shaking slightly, but he nodded and cleared his throat.

“P-please d-don’t hate m-me for suggesting this,” he began, “b-but is it p-p-possible that Tokunaga is also a s-suspect in Ouji’s death?” I did a double-take. _Tokunaga is a… what?_

“What did you just say?” Yoneda growled. Mitsumi instantly hid his face behind his hands and began profusely apologising. “Tokunaga as a suspect in Ouji’s death? Unthinkable!”

“Is it?” I heard myself saying.

“What?” Yoneda cried. I didn’t respond as I was too wrapped up in the tens of thoughts that were simultaneously circulating around my head. Was it possible that this was the clue we had missed all along? We had only considered that a currently living student was the perpetrator; was that the reason we could not solve the case? If Tokunaga was responsible for Ouji’s death, how would this change how we perceived the crime itself?

“You’re not… seriously considering that possibility, are you?” Miyagawa asked me. Before I could answer, Nishi interrupted me.

“I think we should discuss it, unless anyone has any proof that Tokunaga could not possibly have done it?”

“Tokunaga isn’t the killer!” Yoneda bellowed, making me flinch. “Hewould never hurt anyone, so why are we considering that he would murder Ouji? What are we talking about here?”

“No, Yoneda, Tokunaga could have done it,” Morino told him firmly. Yoneda stared at Morino venomously, as if daring him to continue his sentence, which Morino did anyway because he never showed concern about anything. “So, we should debate this issue.”

“If we decide it’s not possible, then it’s one less possibility to consider,” Nishi added. Yoneda folded his arms and turned up his nose.

“I will not entertain this,” he said coldly. “If you want to discuss it, then be my guest. I will not acknowledge it.”

“Then we shall talk about it without you,” I said defiantly. “As Monomenon said at the start, we do not have the luxury of sentimentalism in these trials, so if you’re going to let your friendship with Tokunaga get in the way of our joint effort to save our own lives, then perhaps it is better you don’t participate.”

“Ori, that was a little harsh,” Morihei scolded me. “Yoneda is in pain and-”

“We’re all in pain!” I screamed. “This is the third fucking time this has happened, and you’re really suggesting that only Yoneda is hurting? Sure, he was closer to Tokunaga than the rest of us, but that does not mean that the rest of us are complacent in accepting his death. Nor were we that way when Sanda died, when Uehara died or when Hatanaka and Edward were executed. Each time we lose someone, it hurts. And if Miyagawa had been murdered, I would be in the same position as Ouji in the first trial, or Mina in the second, or Yoneda in this one – distraught. We’re all trying to survive, but if you’re not going to help then fucking stay out of it!” Morihei and several others recoiled at my outburst, but all the emotions I had buried over the course of the last few days were erupting. Then, there was a calmness, as though something had been removed from within me that allowed my feelings to flow. I did regret exploding in the way I had, but every trial we had had this argument about not wanting to believe that one of our friends was capable of murder. The truth was, we were all capable of murder if pushed hard enough, and that’s what this game existed to prove. Our desire to escape was constantly at war with our desire to survive with the friends we had made in the academy, and it had driven us to kill.

“Guys, can we please just stop arguing?” Saza asked miserably. “I’m so tired of this now.”

“Then, should we talk about Mitsumi’s suggestion?” Iowa proposed. We all agreed, but Yoneda looked down silently.

“I’m not happy about it, but Ori is right,” he mumbled, “figuring out who did this will help us to live, so I shouldn’t stop just because of my own selfish reasons.”

“Well, why don’t we let Mitsumi lead the topic?” Miyagawa suggested. The masked boy nodded.

“O-okay. It occurred t-to m-me when w-we were examining the alibis. T-Technically, Tokunaga d-does n-not h-have one for l-last night.”

“Is that true?” Nishi asked Morino and I, who had been in charge of gathering everyone’s alibis. We nodded.

“So, I thought: what if Tokunaga was alive? W-would he have b-been a suspect? And it m-made sense, and it w-would answer a f-few of our questions.”

“Like what?” Saza questioned him.

“The m-main problems we h-have had with this c-c-case are that we d-do not know how Ouji’s k-killer knew she w-was on the third f-floor, nor h-how they knew that she h-had s-s-summoned Tokunaga there. If we c-consider that Tokunaga w-was the culprit, those problems are r-resolved.”

“Since Tokunaga knew where Ouji was because of the note she wrote to him, he satisfies the main qualities of the killer that had until now been a mystery,” concluded Morihei. “That is certainly plausible. It would also eliminate the problem of figuring out how the culprit was able to carry out such clumsy methods for murder – if Tokunaga killed Ouji, he would have had all night to commit his crime and clear up any evidence.”

“But why didn’t he? We found a lot of evidence for Ouji’s death, so why did he not remove the evidence?” Mina asked me, confused.

“Before we get to that,” interrupted Yoneda, “can we talk a bit more about the note that Tokunaga received?”

“Is something the matter?” The question came from Miyagawa.

“I just want to try and understand how reading that note would convince Tokunaga to murder Ouji,” he clarified sheepishly. “I admit, it seems more and more likely that this avenue of thought is the correct one, but for the life of me I don’t understand why someone as peaceable as Tokunaga would kill someone like Ouji.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the motive,” Nishi offered. “Ouji had the key, yes? Did Tokunaga kill her so he could escape using that key?”

“Also, there is the problem of what would have happened if he had escaped,” I added.

“What do you mean? Would something have happened if Tokunaga had escaped?” Iowa queried.

“I’ve only just thought of it, but in Ouji’s note it says that only Tokunaga could help her. I’ve been pondering what she meant by that when she gave him the note – what is unique about Tokunaga compared to the rest of us?”

“And? What did you realise?” pressed Morihei.

“It’s actually quite simple – Yoneda even made mention of it before we even discovered the bodies.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did. When we were going to the third floor, you said that if Tokunaga escaped, he would be recognised fairly quickly given that he is a world-famous opera singer.”

“And if he had been recognised, he would have been able to get a rescue team to us very quickly,” Saza realised in horror. Soon, the others came to same conclusion that Tokunaga had been one of our only chances at an early escape from the killing game, and someone had put a stop to that by killing him.

“So, are you saying he killed Ouji in order to save the rest of us?” Morihei asked sadly.

“I think it’s even worse. I’m saying Ouji requested that Tokunaga kill her so that we could be saved. I think Ouji sacrificed herself so that Tokunaga could get help,” I replied grimly. Like everyone else, I had come to this trial prepared to face the horrifying truth that a student had murdered Ouji and Tokunaga for a selfish reason or for personal gain. In reality, my assumption could not have been farther from the truth – Ouji had been selfless and forfeited her own life in an effort to save us all.

“But why did neither of them mention anything to us about this?” Mina cried.

“Because Ouji probably knew that as a group, we would not have allowed her to do what she did,” Yoneda supposed. “We would have never let another friend die for the sake of a key. That’s probably why she only summoned Tokunaga, and even then, I think she would have had a very difficult time convincing him to go through with something like this. She said in her note that she possessed to the key, and to acquire it from her and gain rightful usage, Tokunaga would have had to murder her.”

“Is that what she meant when she told me she didn’t think she would survive the killing game?” Miyagawa was mortified.

“But then if we’re right, and Tokunaga killed Ouji, why was he killed? And how?” Iowa worriedly bit her nails as she made us aware of a glaring issue. Even though Tokunaga had intended to escape after acquiring the key, he had obviously been unable to do so before someone claimed his life. Perhaps now was the opportunity to look into what happened to him.

“I hate to interrupt this riveting conversation,” came the bored voice of Monomenon, “but the trial is over.”

“What?” I shouted.

“No need to yell, carrot-top. You’ve figured out who killed Ouji, right? This trial is only for her killer, so we can end it here.”

“Absolutely not,” responded Morino furtively, “we do not know for certain that Tokunaga killed Ouji.”

“Besides, given that it is _our _lives that are in danger,” added Morihei in equal ferocity, “we decide when the trial ends. You can sit there and behave like good little teddy bears for however long it takes. If you want us to play your game, you play by your rules.” Monomenon grumbled something about ungrateful youth and went silent. Our discussion continued with Iowa raising a hand.

“So, now we’re figuring out who killed Tokunaga?” We all agreed. “In that case, I’d like to raise an issue that’s been on my mind since Mitsumi proposed that Tokunaga killed Ouji.”

“What’s wrong Iowa?” asked Saza.

“Well, until now, we had assumed that the same person had killed both Ouji and Tokunaga. Obviously, Tokunaga could not have administered those awful injuries to himself, so that means someone else must have killed him.”

“Exactly, but why is that a problem?” I quizzed.

“How was the killer able to inflict those injuries onto Tokunaga? Given his… bulk, it would have been impossible to remove his limbs unless he was unconscious or even dead beforehand. Furthermore, how was his killer able to slash his throat three times?”

“We already brought this up,” responded Nishi, “but there was a missing handsaw from the garden’s shed. We already ascertained with Miyagawa that this was used to inflict those wounds.”

“Actually,” Miyagawa began, deep in thought, “it’s unlikely the handsaw was used to slit Tokunaga’s throat.”

“What do you mean? Why did you wait until now to mention that?” Yoneda demanded.

“Because this trial has been about Ouji’s death – Tokunaga’s throat injuries were not relevant until what we are now debating. I admit, the handsaw was almost certainly used to dismember his arms and legs, but I think it’s likely that something else was used to cut his throat.”

“How can you be certain of that?” Mina asked, a greenish hue in her expression as she tried not to conjure the image in her mind.

“There a couple of indicators. First of all, the lacerations on his throat were all identical in width and direction. The skin and tissue around the neck is more delicate than by the shoulders and hips, so if the handsaw had been used to cut his neck, his throat would have been left in a much messier state. Nonetheless, the cuts on his neck were clean, as if they were caused by one single stroke of one blade, but for a handsaw to cause a similar amount of damage, the killer would have needed to stroke backwards and forwards a couple of times.”

“But w-we d-didn’t f-find another weapon,” Mitsumi reminded us, “so w-what was used?”

“Also, this does mean that someone here must have been on the third floor after midnight,” Saza added.

“Nobody has an alibi for that time except Nishi and Mitsumi, who were with each other in Nishi’s room,” I said. “I don’t think we can accuse anyone here of being the killer based on the lack of alibis.”

“But you said it yourself, Ori” Yoneda said accusingly, “that you and Morino are the prime suspects. Does this not still stand?”

“There is no evidence to support the theory that Ori and I knew about Ouji’s note,” Morino responded. “Furthermore, nobody claimed to have seen either of us yesterday, so how would we have known anyone’s whereabouts?”

“One of you could be the traitor. You could have gone to the third floor to check if anyone was trying to escape,” Yoneda countered.

“Then show us the evidence that proves we are the traitor,” I instructed, but Yoneda spluttered. “If you are going to accuse of something, you should really have proof.”

“In any case, even if you are correct and we did go to the third floor to locate the person with the key, why would we choose to go the very classroom that we prohibited entry to?” Morino added. “The most logical place to go would be the metal cabinet – the bears were very vocal about where the information on how to escape was hidden.”

“Perhaps you overheard the discussion between Ouji and Tokunaga?” Saza suggested.

“But do you remember what Hatanaka said in the first trial?” I responded. Saza shook her head.

“Our dormitories are soundproof, so perhaps the same can be said of the classrooms? In fact, why don’t we ask the bears?” Monomenon, whose overweight figure was leant against the side of his throne, seemed to jerk awake as our attention narrowed down to him.

“Oh, are you numb-nuts done?”

“No,” I said, and he slouched, “we want to ask you a question regarding the infrastructure of the academy?”

“Huh, what do you want to ask?”

“Are all the rooms in the academy soundproof? We know that the dormitories are, but are the other rooms in the school designed this way?”

“Oh, of course they are! Noise pollution is an absolute no-no at Seiko Academy!” Monomenon cried, before promptly slumping in his throne.

“Just like that, he admits it,” Mina noted in disbelief.

“There you have it, Ori and I are not the traitor, and therefore we are likely not the killer,” Morino said calmly. Yoneda shook behind his plinth in anger but sighed heavily and conceded.

“Fine, you win. But you better figure out who did it.”

“But we can’t possibly figure out the identity of the killer, we’ve used up all our evidence,” Mina cried.

“Actually, I thought of something while we were debating whether I killed Tokunaga,” Morino said.

“Really, what?”

“All this time, we have been under the impression that Tokunaga was murdered, but what if he wasn’t?”

“What are you talking about, Morino?” Yoneda asked furiously. “Did you not see the state of his body? His neck was cut open and his fucking arms and legs were cut off! How was this _not _a murder?”

“Think about it, we can’t decide on who killed him because nobody could possibly have known about Tokunaga and Ouji’s secret meeting,” Morino stated, “so we need to look at this from a different angle.”

“A different angle?” I asked.

“If Tokunaga wasn’t murdered by one of us, and he very obviously couldn’t have committed suicide, what is the only other way for him to die in Seiko Academy?”

“You don’t mean…” Morihei exclaimed, clasping her hands to her mouth. “Execution?” The room fell silent once more as we tried to process what she had just shouted. _Execution? Tokunaga was executed._

“Wait, hang on a second, Morino,” blurted Nishi, “but for him to be executed, wouldn’t he have to commit a murder?”

“Not necessarily, Nishi. Remember, Monomenon tried to execute you and Mitsumi not too long ago for sleeping in the garden. Why was that?”

“Monomenon thought w-we had b-b-broken a school r-rule,” Mitsumi replied, “and the p-punishment for that is execution.”

“Are you saying that Tokunaga broke a school rule before he was able to escape the academy?” Iowa cried.

“What rule would he have broken?” Mina brought up. We all eagerly reached for our Seiko-pads and scanned through the rules page. There were only two rules that were punishable by execution:

  1. _ If any student falls asleep in any part of the school that is not a dormitory, they will be punished._
  2. _ Violence against the school headmaster is strictly prohibited. Any student who attempts to do him harm will receive punishment._

“I think these two rules are the ones that could apply to Morino’s theory,” I pointed them out to the rest of the class but was only met with more confused expressions.

“If Tokunaga attacked Monoworth, he would have been executed by Monomenon?” Saza was baffled by the discussion, and I could see that she and others were trying to piece together the bizarre conclusion.

“I don’t know if they would have done that,” I replied, “because that contradicts the rule that states the bears cannot interfere with a crime scene. Since that classroom was technically the scene for Tokunaga’s crime, the bears would likely break their own rule if they executed him there.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that Tokunaga was executed because he _fell asleep_?” Yoneda yelled in utter bemusement. “Now is not a time to be joking!”

“I’m not joking.”

“Then why? If he did kill Ouji, why didn’t he escape using the information inside the cabinet? Why did he die?” Yoneda asked me desperately, tears welling in his eyes and glistening behind the clear lenses of his glasses.

“That, I cannot answer yet,” Morino admitted, and I hung my head to signify that I still had not figured out that part. Dissatisfied, Yoneda lost his temper.

“You really started to make us believe you, and now you don’t know? Is this a joke to you? You just throw out theories as you please and expect us to just accept them with no proof?”

“Yoneda, please,” Mitsumi begged.

“What do you want?” Yoneda turned his anger onto Mitsumi. I had expected Mitsumi to back down and hide away, but he only looked at Yoneda with pity in his eyes.

“Even though Morino a-and Ori c-can’t p-p-prove it,” he started, “I think I c-can.” Yoneda’s eyes bugged, and even Morino seemed shocked by the revelation

“Really, Mitsumi?” Nishi asked excitedly

“It’s o-only a thought, b-but there is a p-piece of evidence w-we haven’t discussed,” Mitsumi said, looking down at the floor. I pondered what Mitsumi had meant for a moment, and then I remembered.

“Are you referring to the two marks in the floor we found outside the classroom?” I queried, and Mitsumi nodded.

“I f-found their source w-with Nishi – w-we had some spare t-time d-during the investigation. B-based on the shape o-of the m-m-marks, the only object I f-found that m-matched were the chairs inside the l-laboratory.”

“The chairs in the lab?” Saza repeated inquisitively. “But why would one of those chairs be outside the classroom?”

“I think,” contemplated Mitsumi, “that someone c-could have b-blocked the d-door by p-positioning the chair underneath the h-handle.”

“If someone did that,” Morihei continued, “then that would mean that anyone inside the room wouldn’t have been able to exit. They would have essentially been locked inside until the chair was removed. If Tokunaga tried to force the door open from inside, that would explain why there would still be marks in the carpet several hours later.”

“So, that would mean that to avoid execution, Tokunaga would have had to stay awake until the morning announcement, or at least until somebody removed the chair,” concluded Miyagawa.

“But Tokunaga wasn’t an athletic person,” Saza hesitantly added, “so I imagine that transporting the rock from the garden, the adrenaline from killing Ouji and the late time at which he killed her probably exhausted him. Staying awake was probably exceedingly difficult in that condition, which would result in his slumber.”

“That reminds me,” Miyagawa piped up, “if Monomenon killed Tokunaga, then that would explain Tokunaga’s fatal wounds – the cuts on his throat.”

“Me? Tokuanga’s killer?” Monomenon wailed in fake petrification. “N-no way I would kill the beautiful Tokunaga Carluccio!”

“Do you not remember, bear?” Miyagawa challenged with a smirk. “You even showed us the murder weapon when you attempted to execute Mitsumi and Nishi.”

“I did?”

“Yes, your claws. If I remember correctly, you have three long blades as claws on each paw – blades like those would perfectly match Tokunaga’s neck wounds.”

“An excellent observation,” marvelled Monoworth, “as expected of the Ultimate Appraiser.”

“Then Tokunaga was locked inside that classroom, but from the outside?” Nishi asked in shock. “Is that even possible? Wouldn’t that mean that someone else would have to do that?”

“That is the inevitable truth,” I accepted, “but I think it is unlikely that, after everything we have discovered, either Tokunaga or Ouji were the traitor. Therefore, the traitor is probably responsible for locking him inside.”

“But if that was the case, then why didn’t Tokunaga try to reach out to any of us when realised he was locked inside?” Yoneda shouted, determined to not believe the almost laughable circumstances surrounding his friend’s death.

“If he had, what would we have discovered in that room?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s right,” Mina realised, “we would have seen Ouji’s corpse, and then Tokunaga would have had to explain why she was dead, and why he was locked inside.”

“Even if he wanted us to save him, he couldn’t,” Morino concluded, “because then we would have known that he was Ouji’s killer. We would have had a class trial for Ouji’s death and sentenced Tokunaga to his execution anyway.” Yoneda wept and clutched his plinth tightly, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that end of trial was clearly approaching.

“Is the traitor the one who inflicted the additional injuries to Tokunaga?” Iowa proposed anxiously.

“That seems very likely,” I agreed, “and it was also probably the traitor who removed the chair before we all discovered the bodies. And I think they took Ouji’s Seiko-pad and sent that message to you, Iowa.”

“Is it not possible for the bears to have interfered?” Yoneda objected angrily.

“Nope,” cheered Monomenon, “because we can’t meddle with the scene of a crime.”

“So, it’s true,” Morihei whispered, “Tokunaga was executed, and he killed Ouji. The traitor got involved, but strictly speaking they’re innocent of murder.”

“Also, there’s the issue of the key to the cabinet,” I stated. “If Tokuanga killed Ouji, the primary owner of the key, then he would gain access to use it. However-”

“Don’t tell me,” Nishi gasped, “that Monomenon is the rightful user of the key, since he killed Tokunaga. The robotic bear is the one who can escape, not one of us?”

“I’m afraid I can’t comment on that right now,” Monomenon giggled, “since this trial is for Ouji’s killer, not Tokunaga’s.”

“I’m so confused,” Mina grabbed her head in pain, “what is going on? I don’t understand anything.”

“Ori, please,” Yoneda whimpered with a pleading look in his eyes, “make me understand what happened? Did Tokunaga really die for such an unfair reason?” I breathed heavily.

“Okay, everyone,” I conceded, “I’ll go over both deaths from the beginning. I don’t know if we’ll ever have a clear picture of what exactly happened, but if anyone has any objections once I’m done, tell me.”

\---

“This puzzling and horrifying double-death began just before midnight. Ouji was the student who randomly received the key to the cabinet in the third-floor laboratory. Allegedly, inside the cabinet was information that would let whoever was in possession of the key escape. Instead of running away with her life, Ouji made a selfless and heart-breaking decision. She left a note for Tokunaga, instructing him to meet her on the third floor as a matter of urgency. Once the two were together, they went to Classroom 3-A, which we cordoned away from ever entering. Our best guess is that Ouji convinced Tokunaga to murder her so that he could escape from the academy and get help. Due to his worldwide fame, it would have been easy for Tokunaga to be noticed in the outside world. Ouji, having come to that conclusion, forfeited her life to save us and she helped Tokunaga prepare the crime.

“The first step was the murder weapon. Although there were various tools in the shed, it was decided that one of the rocks from the garden would be used to deliver the finishing blow to Ouji. Using the wheelbarrow from the shed, they transported the rock back to Classroom 3-A. Tokunaga, using a piece of broken furniture from the classroom, knocked Ouji unconscious, probably as an act of mercy. Then, he used the rock to crush her skull, silencing the Ultimate Naturalist forever. However, someone was acting against their escape plan.

“The traitor must have seen Ouji and Tokunaga enter the classroom, guessed what was about to happen there and enacted a scheme to prevent them from succeeding. Firstly, they positioned a chair from the laboratory underneath the handle of the classroom door. This would halt any attempt made by Tokunaga to leave the classroom. Tokunaga, who was exhausted from a long day and the adrenaline of recently committing a murder, had no choice but to remain in the classroom and await the removal of the chair. But he must have succumbed to his fatigue and fallen asleep, which is against the school rules. As a result, he was executed by Monomenon. Presumably, the traitor was made aware of this by the bears and set about meddling with the crime scene to confuse us even further during the investigation.

“The first thing they did was retrieve a handsaw from the shed and approached Tokunaga’s body. Using the handsaw, they severed Tokunaga’s arms and legs from his body, but even now we do not know why. They then lifted his body into the wheelbarrow to make it seem like he had been murdered in the garden, then decided to mess with Ouji’s body also. They stole her Seiko-pad and sent a message to Iowa from it, which obfuscated the timings and sequence of events. It is unclear what the traitor gains from stopping Tokunaga, but those are our best guesses at the fates of Ouji Bunjiro and Tokunaga Carluccio. Tokunaga is Ouji’s killer, and therefore the guilty party of this trial.”

\---

After I finished my lengthy summation of what we had debated in the trial, I still felt a pang of uncertainty in my stomach. This trial had been unlike the previous two; we had damning pieces of evidence that pointed to Hatanaka and Edward’s guilt, but we had no such thing here. As Yoneda had pointed out, we had thrown a lot of theories until we discovered one that we were not able to refute. But was my conclusion the truth? Had Tokunaga really killed Ouji?

“Who do we vote for, guys?” Mina asked weakly.

“This trial is for Ouji’s death,” Nishi said grimly, “so if Tokunaga killed her, then we have to vote for him. There just won’t be an execution.”

“It’s not fair…” Yoneda sobbed. “Did Tokunaga really die for something so unfair? I don’t believe this… why?” Yoneda quietly repeated that question to himself, a glassy, vacant and dismayed haze had etched itself onto his face and he just stared downwards.

“I hate to break it to you, Mr Naosuke,” interjected Monoworth, “but you humans have an expression: ‘life isn’t fair.’ Such an phrase is very much applicable to the despair you’re feeling at this moment. Miss Bunjiro and master Carluccio obviously believed very strongly that they would succeed, but you should all know by now that hope has no place here. Alas, I digress. Please, cast your votes for who you think took the life of the former Ultimate Naturalist.”

I stared at my Seiko-pad blankly as the names of my classmates flashed at me. Tokunaga’s name was almost inviting me to press it, but I hesitated.

“Are we sure about this?” Nishi asked. I looked at him.

“I must admit,” Morihei agreed nervously, “I do not know if we will ever know the truth, but I can’t think of anything else.”

“I’m so tired already,” groaned Mina, “I don’t want to think about this anymore.”

“But if the v-vote is wrong, w-w w-will die,” Mitsumi cried.

“I believe in Ori.” Those words came from Miyagawa, and I gasped at the look of solemnity on his face. Somehow, he was still smirking. “She has always guided us to the truth. Ori, Morino and Mitsumi: they pretty much solved this case on their own. We have to believe in them, just like Ouji believed in Tokunaga.”

“Mitsumi was incredible in that trial,” Nishi proclaimed proudly, causing the shorter boy to blush brightly, “so I’m more than happy to accept the truth he found.”

“Nishi. Don’t forget about Ori and Morino,” Saza said, rolling her eyes at her brother’s smitten behaviour. “But he’s right, I think we can trust in the hard work of those three.”

_Why? Why are they believing in me? Why are they still being so kind? Why is Miyagawa forgiving me? Why is…_

“You goofballs done?” Monemenon groaned impatiently. “I have a manicure appointment in twenty minutes and I simply cannot be late _again_.” Ignoring his dumb comments, I pressed Tokunaga’s name and my screen flashed.

All that remained was to wait. _Would this be the end?_


	33. Reconciliation

“It seems you have all finished voting!” declared Monomenon excitedly. “Now, let’s see how you all voted. Hmm… remarkably interesting. The very first vote that was not unanimous.”

“We didn’t vote for the same person?” I asked.

“No, only six of you voted for Tokunaga, the other four voted for other students.”

“But it’s a majority, correct? Nishi pressed. “So, as long as we were right about Tokunaga being Ouji’s killer, we have nothing to worry about!”

“Was our vote correct?” Mina demanded to know. There was a brief pause, but then Monomenon laughed.

“Oh, I hate suspense! You were right! Tokunaga Carluccio, the Ultimate Operatic Performer, murdered Ouji Bunjiro! As you correctly deduced in the trial, Ouji instructed him to sacrifice her for the sake of saving all of you. She wanted to use Tokunaga’s celebrity status to quickly get the outside world to listen to what was happening inside the academy.”

“Congratulations, students,” Monomenon praised, “you have survived another class trial.” I sighed heavily in relief and fell against my plinth. _So, we were right after all. Tokunaga really killed Ouji._

“There’s nothing to celebrate at all,” Yoneda wept, “why did Tokunaga die for such an unfair reason?”

“That’s just what he deserves for breaking the rules” interjected Monomenon.

“Then, you admit that you executed him,” Morihei cried in horror. “But why did you cooperate with the traitor? Why did you let them mess with the crime scene?”

“There isn’t a rule that stops a student from handling the crime scene,” Monomenon reminded her, “the rule only applies to ursine members of staff.”

“The traitor in your group acted of their own accord,” Monoworth informed us. “After all, they could not escape as they had not murdered Tokunaga.”

“So, they only tampered with the crime scene because they could?” Mina was horrified.

“It would seem that way,” Nishi said sadly, “and it would seem the traitor is still alive and among us. But I’m glad that we don’t have to watch another execution.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. What do we do in situations where the culprit is already deceased?” I asked.

“You return to the first floor and wait for the next Motive Day,” Monoworth replied simply. A knot twisted in my stomach.

“You’re already planning the next one?”

“Of course. I would be a shameful excuse of a headmaster if I didn’t have all my students’ resources prepared long in advance,” Monoworth said proudly.

“I’m tired of listening to them now,” Saza groaned, “can we just leave?”

“Very well, students. You may go! Oh, and one final note. Since Monomenon is the owner of the key, we have removed the cabinet from the laboratory. It would be no good if it continued to tempt any attempts to break in and steal what’s inside.” Monoworth and Monomenon, who was cackling loudly, disappeared from the room. In uncomfortable silence, we all made our way back to the metallic confines of the academy elevator and slowly began to descend. I was lost in my thoughts, so I didn’t engage in chatter with anyone. I noticed that Yoneda’s face had become a sickly white colour as the trauma of what had happened plagued his mind. I didn’t know if the Ultimate Polyglot would ever be the same after this trial. This trial had highlighted one very harsh truth about the game – its indiscriminate nature. We had come to expect a crime-and-punishment dynamic, but in this trial, we had discovered that the game could claim anyone’s life for any reason, even one as noble as Ouji’s.

_Ouji, why did you think this was the right thing to do? _I thought angrily, cursing my friend for her reckless behaviour. _Because of you, we lost two dear friends and are no closer to escaping. Why couldn’t you talk to us?_ Deep down, however, I knew that I could not blame Ouji for what had happened. After all, someone standing in the elevator was actively double-crossing us and helping our captors. Even now, I still had no idea who it could possibly be. I still considered them all my friends, so the thought that one of them wanted the rest to die was almost unfathomable. But this game was fast teaching me how to readily accept what I once thought impossible. The elevator stopped and I broke out of my reverie. We all shuffled out of the elevator, drained and miserable, and congregated in the first-floor corridor by the elevator’s entrance.

“So, what now?” Iowa asked, breaking the awkward and tense atmosphere.

“I think we all need to rest,” Morino said, “that trial was exhausting. For some, more so than others.” We all instinctively looked at Yoneda, who was just stared back vacantly.

“Yoneda, do you want to spend time with me and Mitsumi?” Nishi asked him. “We can, you know, talk about… stuff.” Yoneda blinked a couple of times, but instead of replying, he walked past us all wordlessly and turned the corner towards the dormitories. Nobody tried to stop him.

“Poor Yoneda,” Morihei muttered. “He must be crushed.”

“The trials are never going to be an easy undertaking,” I said, “but for that to end the way it did… Though, there’s still something that’s bothering me.”

“Urk, I don’t want to talk about this,” whined Saza, “I’ve had enough. If you’re going to keep discussing their deaths, I don’t want to be part of it.” She excused herself tiredly and walked in the same direction that Yoneda had done. Mina, yawning loudly, shortly followed suit. That left seven of us standing in the hallway, looking at me.

“What did you want to talk about?” Nishi asked me.

“Tokunaga’s arms and legs. Where are they?”

“What? Why are you bringing those up?”

“We never agreed on why it was done, simply how it was done. His limbs must still be in the school somewhere, yes?”

“That is a g-good p-point,” agreed Mitsumi, “b-but other than the f-freezer in the k-kitchen, I can’t think of anywhere that the t-traitor could store them.”

“That is deeply concerning,” Morihei added, “perhaps we should search for them tomorrow?”

“Only if you think that they’ll give us some clues about the traitor’s identity,” Morino told her. “Besides, there’s a high chance one of us is the traitor, so they could just hide them again now that we’ve had this discussion.” We all mumbled in agreement and decided that we would just let the dead rest. Bidding each other good night, we all returned to our rooms. As I reached for the doorknob to my own room, I heard a gentle cough behind me. I turned around to see Miyagawa, abashedly looking at the floor.

“Miyagawa? Is something the matter?” He coughed again and started wringing his hands.

“Do you have a moment? I wanted to speak with you.” I nodded. “About what you said during the trial…” I tilted my head to the side, not knowing what he was specifically referring to.

“Could you elaborate? I did a lot of talking in the trial.” Miyagawa’s eyes widened and he coughed again.

“Yeah, sure. You said in the trial that, uh,” his face went red and I thought for a moment that I could feel the heat radiating from him, “if I had been the victim or culprit, you would have been distraught. Did you mean that?” I swallowed nervously but choked on my saliva and spluttered loudly. This continued for several seconds before I regained my composure.

“Um, yes, I did say that. I suppose,” I said slowly, “that I meant that.” Miyagawa looked as if he was trying to not smile once he heard me say that.

“That was… a genuinely nice thing to say. Thank you.”

“The alternative was being happy that you died,” I replied bluntly, trying to make the conversation less awkward, but to no avail.

“Ah, you’re right. I just thought that, since you mentioned _me _specifically,” he mumbled, but trailed off.

“That what?” I asked.

“It’s fine, I’m just thinking aloud,” he said, waving his hands dismissively. “Though I did think that I should apologise for my behaviour this morning. It is quite possible that I overreacted a little. I should not have doubted your belief in your friends. I am sorry, Ori.” He held out his hand to me for a handshake, and I raised an eyebrow at it.

“No, I should apologise too,” I admitted. “You were right to notice that I was not in a positive mindset, and you were right that I was doubting my friendship with everyone here, but that trial made me realise that I have to be resilient and fight alongside everyone else to win. I am sorry too, Miyagawa.” I reached out to shake his hand but tripped as I stepped forward. I yelped as I braced myself for an impact with the ground, but I never did. I instead felt something grab me around my midriff and hold me firmly. My face found itself nestled against a strong chest. Miyagawa was hugging me. _Oh, for heaven’s sake, _I thought, _this is far too cliché!_

“Steady there, Ori, you could have hurt yourself,” Miyagawa said. The deepness of his voice made his chest reverberate slightly against my cheek. _That feels nice, _I shamefully admitted to myself.

“Thanks for catching me,” I said stupidly.

“No problem,” he chuckled. We were silent for a few seconds. I don’t know when, but at some point, my own arms had somehow snaked themselves around Miyagawa and I was returning the embrace. I hated that I was a little giddy, yet the feeling was undeniable. Just as the silence began to grow uneasy, Miyagawa spoke again: “I just realised something.”

“What?”

“Ori rhymes with ‘sorry.’” I deadpanned.

“What?”

“Your name. It rhymes with that word.”

“I know what you said. Where did that come from, though?”

“Dunno. I was just thinking.”

“Okay. Are you sure you’re not just stalling for time so you can keep up this clumsy hug?”

“You haven’t broken away.”

“Neither have you!”

“And you’re also still entertaining the conversation, so I don’t think the stalling is one-sided.”

“Hah! So, you admit you’re stalling?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No! You hugged me first!”

“I actually stopped you from falling.”

“Hmph.”

“Hey, Ori?”

“Yes?”

“You’re still hugging me.”

“Shut up, Miyagawa.”


	34. Do Shadows Feel Fear?

The first shadow was giggling with glee after spectating the trial. Watching the polyglot boy’s morale shatter into a million pieces had set their heart on fire. They had to fight the overwhelming urge for self-gratification as they watched the boy’s eyes glaze over as the despair of losing his beloved friend sunk in. It was delightful. But alas, the first shadow had other matters to attend to, which was why they were sitting in the dark room that they had after the previous class trial. Since that meeting, the corpse of the fifth shadow had been removed, and now only four shadows sat there in complete silence. Finally, the first shadow spoke, done with his reverie about the polyglot boy.

“Thank you all for coming,” they began.

“We would never miss an opportunity to be an audience for you, Your Eminence,” the second shadow replied immediately. In the darkness, the first shadow scowled, but decided to ignore them.

“What are our thoughts on the conclusion of the trial?”

“The result was unexpected,” the third shadow sneered, “but it was intriguing. I never would have thought that the nudist girl would let the fatty take her life.”

“It was very entertaining to watch the students struggle to reach the truth,” agreed the fourth shadow. “Though, I must admit, the traitor slightly concerns me.”

“Why is that?” asked the first shadow.

“If you would allow me to speak out of turn, Your Eminence,” replied the fourth shadow, “it is my belief that the student betraying the others may become an obstacle if they continue to survive the motives we present to the students. They are playing our game very smartly; they are technically responsible for the opera boy’s death, yet they managed to shift the blame to the bears through manipulating the rules. They are a formidable strategist.”

“I too, share your concern,” admitted the first shadow. “At first, I did not consider that they would be able to pull off something so risky so perfectly.”

“Having said that, Your Eminence,” began the third shadow, “by doing what they did, they also put themselves in a difficult situation.”

“I am aware. They put their own life at risk when they meddled with the crime scene. Had their classmates incorrectly guessed the culprit, they would have died. On the other hand, had they come forward with evidence that only a traitor would know about, they would have been immediately suspicious.”

“We need to keep an eye on them,” declared the second shadow.

“That is obvious, dimwit,” groaned the fourth shadow. The first shadow was deep in thought as an argument ensued between the other shadows. The traitor was not a member of the Blades of Despair, so their motive for deceiving the group was unclear, and that was worrisome. _Perhaps we should use the next motive to get rid of them._

“What of the next motive?” the first shadow asked, and the bickering ceased.

“It is ready, Your Eminence.”

“I need you to make a couple of changes,” instructed the first shadow, and they told the other shadows what needed to be done.

“If I may be so bold,” said the second shadow nervously, “but what is the purpose of doing this?”

“If fortune is on our side, it will eradicate the threat of that student.”

“Such a wise decision!” the second shadow cheered in praise but was met with a fist to the face from the first shadow. The second shadow cried out in pain, but then swiftly moaned in arousal. The first shadow grit their teeth – they had momentarily forgotten that the second shadow lusted after them and was terrible at hiding it.

“Are the next clues for the students ready on the fourth floor?” the first shadow demanded irritably.

“Of course, Your Eminence,” confirmed the third shadow nervously, not wanting to be struck by their leader. “Everything has been set up as you desired.”

“Fantastic, then what are the updates on the students?”

“The girl is still an uncertainty,” the fourth shadow recounted, “her talent is still something we cannot seriously factor into the game’s storyboard. We have no way of controlling it.”

“Do not worry about the girl,” the second shadow said darkly, “her feelings for the appraiser boy will obstruct her. In any case, her talent is no threat to us.”

“Are you sure? She has solved all three trials.”

“They are correct,” stated the first shadow. “The girl will die soon.”

“Very well, Your Eminence. In that case, the only student I have in my notes is _that one. _They still have not done as expected.”

“Ah yes, our victor,” hummed the first shadow. “For now, we cannot interfere with their performance. We cannot poison their mind.”

“But if we let the students do the same thing,” objected the second shadow.

“Do not argue with me! Or do you doubt my perfect killing game?” The second shadow wailed and there was a dull sound as they fell to the floor.

“Of course not, Your Eminence! Perish the very thought, I would never doubt your impenetrable wisdom!”

“This is revolting, must you always act like a snivelling toddler?” growled the fourth shadow.

“You do not have as much faith in His Eminence as I do,” retorted the second shadow.

“Enough!” roared the first shadow, and even the air seemed to freeze in fear. “We are comrades, not enemies. We have been for a long time. We have masterminded many killing games together, and this one will be no different. If you genuinely believe that exterminating the problematic students would benefit the game, then we will change the next motive.”

“How so, Your Eminence?” queried the fourth shadow. The first shadow thought for a few moments, and the others held their breath in anticipation for the answer. Finally, the first shadow knew what to do.

“Listen to me very carefully.” In an excited tone, the first shadow laid out the plan to the others. When the first shadow thought about the despair that their plan would bring, their feeling of arousal returned, and they were practically salivating at the thought. _Perhaps I will need to use the second shadow after all, _they thought, _it won’t take much to convince them to join me in my quarters. Besides, they haven’t been punished sufficiently for interrupting me._ Once the first shadow had finished explaining, the others felt a similar palpitation and the meeting hastily adjourned, with each shadow eagerly devising their own role to play. Only one thought coursed through their minds as they worked.

_The students are going to be in so much pain! Pain! Pain!_

However, not even the shadows could predict what would come to transpire.


	35. Fingertip Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from Nishi's perspective. In the next chapter, the perspective will switch back to Ori.

_ I can’t sleep _.

No matter how many times I rolled over in my bed, sleep never came. All night, the sight of Tokunaga’s body flashed through my mind, accompanied by an orchestra of Yoneda’s screaming as the trial concluded with no result. That had been the hardest trial so far, and I had to agree with Yoneda: it had been the most unfair trial. Ouji, who sacrificed herself for nought, and Tokunaga, who died so needlessly. In truth, the trial had been a farce from the first instant. Ouji had tried to save us all, and the traitor that the bears had mentioned over and over had stopped her. _ But why remove Tokunaga’s arms and legs, and what have they done with them? _ The trial had left a bitter taste in my mouth and many questions in my head, which were promptly interrupted by a sharp tap at my door. Recognising the pattern of the knocks, I jumped out of bed, ran over to the door and swung it open, a huge smile instantly on my face.

“Mimi! You’re here!” At my door stood Mitsumi; in his arms he cradled the basket he had after Uehara and Edward’s trial. I knew instantly why he was here. He shushed me.

“Don’t use that nickname, Nishi, it could be embarrassing,” he murmured, but I only smiled more widely.

“You know as well as I do that the rooms are soundproof,” I reminded him, “so I could shout your nickname as loudly as I wanted, and nobody would hear.” Mitsumi blushed and giggled. I could tell that behind his mask, he was smiling.

“Okay, then you can keep using it,” he said. Without another word, he outstretched his hand, which was holding the black ribbon that we always used to walk together. I took the other end of the ribbon in my palm and tugged it lightly, letting him know that I was ready to leave for the garden. After about ten minutes, chatting about this and that, ribbon in hand, we arrived at the garden’s entrance. We planned to add Ouji and Tokunaga’s portraits to the gravestone; I would draw their likenesses, while Mitsumi would collect flowers to display by them. However, a curious sight awaited us and made us stop in our tracks. Mitsumi let go of the ribbon, and there was a sudden drop in heat around my palm.

“Yoneda? What are you doing here?” The Ultimate Polyglot, accompanied by a flickering amber torch, was walking around the garden area, his eyes scanning the ground methodically and swiftly, never seeming to look at the same spot twice. Upon hearing Mitsumi’s voice, he looked up in surprise and pushed the frames of glasses to the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, it’s just you two,” was all he said before returning to his search.

“Hey, Yoneda. Mitsumi asked you a question,” I said, a hint of annoyance in my voice. Yoneda simply shrugged without looking at me.

“And? Who says I have to tell you what I’m doing? Mind your business.” I was taken aback. I knew that Yoneda was acting different after the trial, and understandably so, but this was completely out of character.

“Is something the matter, Yoneda?” I asked. Yoneda grunted.

“Must you pester me with questions? Fine, I’ll tell you if you shut up. I’m looking for clues.”

“Clues? For what?” Mitsumi questioned.

“For Tokunaga’s death. We didn’t solve the case during the trial, since nobody else cared about him.”

“Hey, that’s-”

“The truth,” Yoneda spat. “You were all _ so _concerned with Ouji’s death. Poor Ouji, the victim so wrongfully taken away from us.” he was talking with a mocking tone, like a child mimicking its parent.

“What do you mean, Yoneda?” Mitsumi queried worriedly. “Why are you talking about Ouji like that?”

“Nobody cared about Tokunaga, and now he’s dead too! But throughout the trial, every conversation returned to Ouji’s death. Every time I thought we were heading towards an answer to Tokunaga’s mystery, we stopped and refocused the conversation to Ouji. Tokunaga’s death meant nothing to you, simply because your survival didn’t depend on solving his death. It was selfish and I’m the only who still cares!”

“Yoneda, what’s gotten into you? We all cared about Tokunaga-” I began.

“Bullshit! You didn’t know Tokunaga like I knew him,” Yoneda hissed venomously, strolling over to me and positioning his face so close to mine that our noses nearly touched. In the amber glow of his torch, I could see that he had been crying. His eyes were pink and puffy, but there was a delirium to them that began to unsettle me. It became clear to me that we had all underestimated just how badly this killing game had affected Yoneda, perhaps because Tokunaga had been handling Yoneda’s emotions so well. Now that the Ultimate Operatic Performer was gone, Yoneda must have felt that he had lost everyone whom he could depend on, and I felt a guilt bubble in my stomach. _ Have we not been good friends to him? Is his current state my fault? _

“Guys, please don’t argue…” Mitsumi pleaded. Yoneda turned to him.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” demanded Yoneda, “you’re the weakest out of all of us. Sanda even said so right at the very beginning of this game.”

“Yoneda, that’s enough,” I warned, but then Yoneda spat at Mitsumi.

“What does a faggot like you know about being strong?” I could scarcely believe what I had just heard. When Yoneda said that word, even the blades of grass in the garden seemed to stop moving. Mitsumi’s eyes widened in shock and immediately wetted with fresh, beady tears. On the other hand, something in my head creaked, and I felt a sudden urge to hurt Yoneda. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt about someone in a very long time.

“What… did you say?” Mitsumi squeaked.

“You heard me!” Yoneda shouted. “I called you what you are, a weak, little, pathetic faggot!” Yoneda’s voice became increasingly louder as he hurled his abuse at my friend. I couldn’t stand it any longer, and the red mist descended.

“Yoneda… you… why are you being so cruel?” Mitsumi sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. His tiny frame shook as he softly cried into his palms, and I snapped.

“You… how _ dare _you call him that!” I roared, and without thinking shoved Yoneda as hard as I could. Given my height, I easily overpowered the bespectacled boy and he was sent sprawling to the ground, his glasses falling off his face and landing next to him on the ground.

“Nishi! Don’t!”

“No, _ nobody _ calls you that in front of me, Mimi,” I snarled. As I finished that sentence, I strode over to Yoneda and pinned him to the ground. My fingers snaked their way around Yoneda’s pale, thin neck and started to squeeze. Yoneda’s eyes bulged at the sudden pressure and his body began to flail helplessly as I pressed as hard as I could. Mitsumi was screaming, begging me to stop, but I didn’t listen. _ I’m going to fucking kill him _. That was the only thing I could think of as Yoneda’s face went from red to blue to a sickly shade of purple. Suddenly, Yoneda swung his right arm, and something hard, metallic and hot struck me on the side of my head. I had forgotten that Yoneda had still been holding onto the lantern, which he had used to knock me over. Ashes and embers flew into my eyes and scorched my skin, and I swore loudly and clutched my eyes, desperately rubbing off the particles. I could hear Yoneda panting heavily as oxygen found its way back into his lunges.

“Nishi, you,” he began between heavy breaths, “you just tried to kill me.”

“You fucking deserved it,” I sneered, “you had no right to talk to Mitsumi like that! I don’t care how upset you are!”

“Nishi, that’s no reason to hurt Yoneda! Mitsumi cried, but I had lost my mind to my anger.

“You knew Mimi wouldn’t fight back because that’s not in his nature! I’m going to protect him from anyone that threatens him!”

“But that gave you the right to take my life?” Yoneda sneered. I was silent. “I didn’t think so.” With my limited vision, I could see Yoneda stand up, still a little unsteady on his feet. His piercing green-blue eyes stared down at me coolly. “You’re both pathetic. You still don’t understand why I’m angry, and you try and take me down when I bite back. I’ve lost everything since coming to this academy. All my brothers, my best friend, everything! And how do you guys respond? You swept Tokunaga’s death aside like it was nothing! That’s why I’m going to win this killing game, so I can have a proper funeral for Tokunaga. I won’t let his death be in vain, nor my brothers’! I won’t!” With tears streaming down his face, Yoneda bolted out of the garden, and we didn’t see him for the rest of the night. Mitsumi, who had been paralysed with fear, ran over to me and knelt down.

“Nishi, what were you thinking?” There was undeniable concern in his voice, but I couldn’t tell how he felt about what I had just done.

“Don’t defend that bastard, Mimi,” I growled, getting to my feet. “If he thinks he’s the only one suffering, he should start thinking otherwise.”

“Your lip is bleeding, and so is your cheek,” he noted. “We need to get your wounds cleaned.”

“I’ll be fine,” I declined, “they don’t even hurt.”

“It wasn’t an offer, Nishi,” Mitsumi ordered, and frantically waved one of his ribbons at me. With a sigh I grabbed the other end, and he swiftly took me back to the elevator. He did not say a word to me, nor did he look at me, and I started to worry that he was angry. _ Have I just ruined my friendship with Mimi? _ I began to slightly panic, but then I looked down at the ribbon we were both clutching. _ If he was angry, why would he want to ‘hold’ my hand? _ The elevator stopped and Mitsumi practically dragged me outside; for someone that short, Mitsumi was surprisingly strong, but then I remembered he was the Ultimate Pole Dancer. It wasn't surprising at all that he would be physically strong given his talent, which I had seen first-hand. But how did someone like Mitsumi, who was shy and by his own admission rather weak-willed, become an exotic dancer? I was shocked to realise I had never asked him. As I was thinking, I noticed that Mitsumi had brought me to the second floor of the academy, and that we were now inside the storeroom.

“There should be some medical supplies in here,” Mitsumi said, letting go of the ribbon to find a light source and scurry around, hunting for something to clean my wounds. I found a stool nearby and sat down, waiting for him to come back, my eyes observing his face from wherever in the room he was. He was only gone for a handle of minutes, and he trotted back with his arms full of supplies.

“I don’t think that many things are necessary, Mimi,” I began, but he shushed me.

“They shouldn’t be necessary at all, Nishi,” he reminded me, “but you’re the one who attacked Yoneda.” I didn’t have an answer, so I kept my mouth shut as he went about cleaning. “This is probably going to sting a little, given the cuts on your face.” I was confused. _ Is he going to tend to my wounds? But that would mean he would have to _ … By the time I had come to my realisation, Mitsumi had poured some rubbing alcohol into a ball of cotton and delicately pressed his fingers to my face. _ Mimi is touching me…! _ I held my breath as Mitsumi silently checked out the wound and started to carefully dab the cotton against my skin. I hissed at the sudden pain on the right side of my head. _ Did Yoneda really hit me that hard? _I looked at Mitsumi in the corner of my eye; his face was creased in deep concentration as he tapped my skin.

“You’re… not mad at me, are you, Mimi?” I asked tentatively, finally breaking the silence. He sighed and looked at me.

“You scared me, Nishi. I really thought you were going to kill Yoneda,” tears stung his eyes as he continued to talk and tend to me. “I never wanted to see you like that, it was horrible.”

“I’m sorry, Mimi. But when he called you… that word… I-”

“I know, it’s a horrible word, but far from a reason to take his life."

“It’s not just the word, Mimi. It’s the fact that he would try to hurt you by using it. Had he called me that, I would have handled it. But you… I can’t let anyone hurt you.”

“You think that murdering Yoneda right in front of me wouldn’t have hurt me?” he asked quietly. His question stunned me, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“No, of course not, I-”

“Just because you’re my closest friend, you are not impervious to hurting me Nishi. Especially in the current circumstances.” Suddenly, the feeling of his fingertips on my face felt like fire, and I was very uncomfortable.

“I’m really sorry, Mimi,” I mumbled, ashamed. “I just felt something snap inside me, and I felt I had to protect you from Yoneda.”

“Yoneda is our friend, not our enemy, Nishi,” was the immediate response, “ so we don’t need to fight him. So, tomorrow morning, you’re going to apologise to him at breakfast.” I wasn’t sure if I liked authoritative Mitsumi, but he was right nevertheless.

“Okay, Mimi, if it’s for you I’ll do it.”

“No, not just for me, do it for yourself. You can apologise to Yoneda all you want, but something tells me you won’t be as ready to forgive him for calling me what he did.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But I only act that way because-” I stopped talking and felt my face flush. I had almost just admitted my feelings for Mitsumi to him.

“Well, whatever your reasoning,” Mitsumi continued once he realised I wasn’t talking, “we should all still try to work together. Besides, I do feel for Yoneda. It’s really tough to lose people you’re close to.” His eyes became sad, and I wondered if he was talking from experience. However I had learned not to press Mitsumi for information he wasn’t willing to divulge, so I could only worry as he shook his head lightly and continued cleaning my cuts.

“I suppose we didn’t fully solve the circumstances around Tokunaga’s death,” I admitted, “like what the traitor did with his arms and legs. Do you really think one of us could be the traitor?” Mitsumi paused for a moment.

“The bears seem to keep using it as leverage against us, but I’m surprised they’re playing along with the idea.”

“Why do you say that?”

“During the trial,” Mitsumi said, “the bears revealed that the traitor was working independently from them. So far, they haven’t given me reason to doubt what they tell us, so it’s really hard for me to guess who it could be. Nobody acts outwardly malicious in any way - the only ones that did are dead, being Sanda, Hatanaka and, to an extent, Edward.” I hummed in agreement.

“Something else has been on my mind regarding Tokunaga’s body. Miyagawa said that his limbs had been removed skillfully, as though someone had done it before.”

“He did say that…”

“But surely that would mean that someone in our class has killed someone before?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Well, I can’t think of anyone who would even think to kill anyone. It’s unthinkable, isn’t it?” Mitsumi didn’t answer right away, and it wasn’t until his eyes locked with mine that he seemed to break out of some sort of trance.

“Ah, yes, you’re right. Sorry, I was concentrating on cleaning up the last bits.” He put his medical supplies down and examined his handiwork. “There, my handsome Nishi is back!”

"_Your _handsome Nishi,” I spluttered, my face hotter than when Yoneda struck it with the flaming lantern. Mitsumi began to giggle uncontrollably.

“I’m joking, you can be anyone’s Nishi, but there’s no mistaking that you’re handsome!”

“Mimi, you’re embarrassing me!” I exclaimed, but I smiled.

“Now, which plaster do you want for the cut on your cheek?” He held out his hands to show me lots of brightly-coloured and childish plasters, each with a different animal design.

“A difficult choice,” I joked, “what do you think, Mimi?”

“The owl design is the cutest,” he chirped happily.

“Well, I’ll have the owl plaster please, Doctor Romi,” I told him with a chuckle. “It’s only natural that the cutest person in the academy gives me the cutest plaster.” He squeaked as his cheeks became a bright pink colour. Very carefully, he removed the paper from the plaster in question and placed it over my cheek. I decided against mentioning the fact that he was touching me, for fear of him never doing it again.

“There will probably be some bruises that appear overnight,” he told me, “so we are going to have to explain what happened to the others. I just don’t want everyone to turn against Yoneda, or you, for what happened. Conflict is probably what the bears want.”

“It’s fine, Mimi,” I assured him, standing up and walking with him back to the elevator. “As long as I have you, I’m sure everything will work out fine.” Mitsumi bounced on the soles of his feet happily and looked up at me. Once the elevator landed at our destination, the first floor of the school, we both returned to our dormitories and bid each other a fond goodnight. We would add Ouji and Tokunaga’s portraits another night, once I had apologised to Yoneda.

As I lay in my bed, I put my hand to my cheek, where Mitsumi had put my plaster. The parts of my skin where he had touched me felt warmer than the other side of my face. In a way, each of those little touches had felt like kisses, and I found myself blushing furiously at the thought of kissing Mitsumi - it meant nothing to me that he wore a mask. I knew that I was falling for him, and falling hard, but was I good enough for him? I shook my head and tossed a pillow on top of my head. _ Now’s not the time to think about that, Nishi _, I told myself. Instead, I fell asleep as I focused on the warmth of Mitsumi’s fingertip kisses.


	36. The Mourning After

The next morning, we all gathered in the cafeteria, like we always did. When I arrived Iowa, Saza, Mina and Morino were already sitting at the table, tucking into their breakfasts.

“Good morning, Ori,” Mina tried to greet me happily, but there was fatigue and depression in her eyes. Looking at the others, I knew the trial from yesterday had taken a heavy toll on them all. Even Morino didn’t seem his usual, cold self. The others turned to look at me and acknowledge my entrance.

“Morning, everyone,” I replied glumly, unable to even attempt a smile as I slumped in one of the stools. Iowa immediately excused herself to make my breakfast, and the others made no effort to continue the conversation. We just sat in silence; normal chatter seemed an impossible task after enduring yesterday’s trial. It had been unlike the two prior trials, in that Tokunaga hadn’t killed Ouji to save himself, he had done it to save the rest of us, at the cost of Ouji’s life. At least, that’s what I had convinced the others in the trial; I doubted we would ever know the truth of their secret meeting, but Yoneda had been right. The trial had been unfair, Tokunaga and Ouji’s deaths had been unfair, and now there were only ten students remaining.  _ Would the number continue to dwindle, or would we be able to break free from our captors? _

After another ten minutes of silence, we were joined by a sullen-looking Morihei, Miyagawa and Mitsumi. I raised an eyebrow when I saw Mitsumi walk in without Nishi. It seemed the others also noticed this, and Saza raised an objection right away.

“It’s not like you to come to breakfast without big bro, Mitsumi.” In response to her comment, Mitsumi just nodded, as if expecting it.

“Nishi is running a little late, but I’ll let him explain when he gets here,” he replied solemnly.

“Did something happen between you two?” Saza pressed.

“No, not between us specifically,” he replied slowly. I felt a little uneasy at the look in Mitsumi’s eyes, which was more disconcerted than I was used to.  _ What happened? _ As Iowa came back into the cafeteria, plates of breakfast in her hands for the remaining students, Nishi arrived. There were several gasps.

“Big bro! What’s wrong with your face?” Saza cried. Nishi, sheepishly striding over to the table, had a large purple and brown bruise on one side of his face, which looked a little swollen and had begun yellowing in some places. A single plaster rested smoothly on his cheek, and I could just about make out an owl design on it.

“Ah, morning, Sazzy,” her brother replied, shamefaced. I turned to Mitsumi, my eyes wild and demanding an explanation. He averted my gaze and looked at Nishi.

“Your face is gross!” Mina shouted.

“Thanks, Mina,” Nishi sighed. “I suppose I have some explaining to do.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Saza agreed sternly, folding her arms. Nishi took a deep breath and sat down next to Mitsumi, who inspected the plaster on Nishi’s cheek closely.

“Last night, Mitsumi and I went to the gravestone,” Nishi began to explain, “so that we could add Tokunaga and Ouji to the portraits. However, when we arrived at the garden, we encountered Yoneda there. I see he has yet to turn up to breakfast... “

“What was Yoneda doing in the garden alone at that hour? I asked, alarmed.

“He told us he was looking for clues relating to Tokunaga’s death,” Mitsumi told us sadly. “I think he is still struggling to cope with the… unusual ending to yesterday’s trial, and with the loss of Tokunaga.”

“He  _ was _ acting oddly after the trial,” Iowa noted, “but to think he would still be investigating. Tokunaga must have been really special to Yoneda.”

“And he was still acting that way in the garden,” Nishi said firmly, and there was an angry look in his eyes. “He was rude to me, to Mitsumi, telling us how nobody but him cared about Tokunaga. He said we were too focused on solving Ouji’s murder that we brushed the gruesome fate of Tokunaga to one side, like it didn’t matter at all.”

“He wasn’t wrong to say that,” Morihei said. We all looked at her. “The point of that trial was to figure out who killed Ouji. Yoneda knew that, but he was likely hoping that we would treat both murders with equal urgency, but…” she bowed her head. “That wasn’t possible; the bears didn’t allow us to have that conversation.”

“Poor Yoneda,” Iowa murmured, “do you think he really believes we didn’t care about Tokunaga? Because we did!”

“Well, whether he does or not,” interjected Nishi, “he’s the one that gave me this.” He gestured absentmindedly to the bruise on his face. My mouth fell open.

“Yoneda did that? But how?”

“Things got very tense between Nishi and Yoneda,” Mitsumi explained, “but then Yoneda turned on me. He called me weak… and some other things.” I saw Nishi’s fists clench as Mitsumi’s voice trailed off.  _ What could have Yoneda possibly said to upset Nishi that much? _

“When Yoneda started to shout at Mitsumi, I snapped. I shoved Yoneda to the ground, and I… wanted to hurt him. Badly. So I attacked him, tried to kill him...” There was a venom in Nishi’s voice, a venom that terrified me and made my blood freeze. Next to him, Mitsumi shook his head.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Nishi, especially as we’re still participating in a killing game.” Nishi relaxed as soon as he saw the pained look on Mitsumi’s face.

“I know, I’m sorry. Anyway, Yoneda was holding a lantern in his hand, and he struck me with it while I was attacking him. That’s how I got the bruise. There were some cuts too, but Mitsumi cleaned me up with some supplies from the store room. And that’s everything that happened.” For a while, nobody said anything.

“If Yoneda was contemptuous of us after the trial,” Morino thought aloud, “then I doubt your quarrel will have done anything to soothe that contempt. I will be surprised if Yoneda chooses to cooperate with us further.”

“You think he’ll betray us?” Mina squeaked. Morino shook his head.

“No, there is already a traitor among our group, whom I suspect Yoneda loathes more than anyone else. Yoneda will likely be suspicious of all of us until the traitor’s identity is revealed. I would imagine that Nishi’s foolish actions yesterday cemented Yoneda’s doubt. Now, we have only eight students who are working together to beat the game. Yoneda and the traitor are now acting independently.”

“How do you know this?” Miyagawa asked.

“I spent a lot of time with Yoneda during the investigation of the first trial, as well as afterwards,” Morino stated, “and you can learn a lot about a person in one conversation. Surely, as the Ultimate Appraiser, you know this. You must have noticed that Yoneda is a very astute person, but also easily manipulated when it comes to emotions.”

“It had crossed my mind,” Miyagawa said with a nod.

“We also have to remember that Tokunaga is not the only person that Yoneda has lost,” Morihei added. “He also lost his six brothers, who were his motive prior to the second trial.” My stomach ached at the thought of how Yoneda must have felt when he saw that.

“Tokunaga must have been the only person that Yoenda felt he could confide in,” I commented. “So, when we disregarded Tokunaga’s case in favour of solving Ouji’s murder, it must have felt like a stab in the back.”

“And when I fought with him,” Nishi realised, “that felt like another.” His expression changed to one of regret.

“I told Nishi that we would apologise to him this morning,” Mitsumi said, looking down at the table, “but I guess he’s not coming.”

“I don’t think approaching him would be wise,” Morihei advised. “He’s going to be very fragile while he grieves. We should let him have his space.”

“To think that Ouji’s sacrifice caused us more pain than hope,” Saza muttered.

“That stupid girl, what was she thinking?” Miyagawa growled.

“Don’t curse the dead, Miyagawa!” Mina commanded.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, I don’t understand why she thought her plan was the smart thing to do.”

“We already discussed this in the trial,” I reminded him, “she couldn’t tell anyone but Tokunaga of her plan.”

“It didn’t matter in the end, since the traitor got to Tokunaga before he could rescue us,” Miyagawa responded. I didn’t say anything in the hope we wouldn’t have to talk about this further.

“I really can’t believe there is a traitor in our group,” Iowa said hurtfully, “do you guys really think there is one? Do you think the bears could be bluffing to cause more problems for us?”

“It sounds like you’re causing enough problems between yourselves without our intervention,” came a sadistic giggle as both Monomenon and Monoworth dropped onto the table from the ceiling. “But bears, as a principle, do not tell porkies!” The atmosphere in the cafeteria instantly shifted to fear.

“Good morning, students,” Monoworth greeted us amicably. “Ah, but where is Master Naosuke? He normally breakfasts with you, do he not?”

“He won’t be coming,” Morino replied, “but don’t pretend you were unaware of the fight between him and Nishi last night.”

“Ah, yes, that homoerotic squirmish,” Monomenon reminisced. “I never imagined that four-eyes would have a fetish for choking. Then again, if any student were to choke  _ me _ , I definitely would pick Nishi. Those big, muscular arms and hands, I can understand why his precious Mimi still clings to him like an extra limb.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Nishi roared.

“Oooh,” Monomeon wailed in mock fear, wiggling its butt suggestively, “please don’t choke me to death, Nishi! I’ll enjoy it  _ so  _ much!” Nishi looked ready to pounce, but one glare from Saza stopped him in his tracks and he furiously sat back in his seat, shaking with ineffable rage.

“I’m sure you’re here because there’s a new floor of the school for us to investigate?” Morino asked, changing the subject uncomfortably.

“Oh, that’s right!” Monomenon declared. “The fourth and final floor of the school is ready for you all to explore! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Hold on, the final floor?” I interrupted.

“Yes, carrot-top! Is there something wrong?”

“You told us that new floors of the school are opened for each trial we pass,” I said, “so what happens if there are more trials from this moment onwards? There aren’t any more floors to explore after we go to the fourth.”

“Hmm, that’s what we call a logistical error, but not from us,” Monoworth claimed. “We did not construct Seiko Academy, so we’re playing the hand we were given when it comes to post-trial rewards.”

“But you’ve also told us that only one student can win, and your rules forbid more than two kills per student,” I urged. “Mathematically speaking, it’s impossible for there to be one student after one more trial unless we fail to identify the killer. If there is another trial and we succeed in identifying the killer, what will you do?”

“Ugh, you’re  _ so  _ annoying for asking us all these questions, carrot-top!” Monomenon growled.

“It’s fine, Monomenon,” Monoworth reassured him, “we can tell the students what their rewards will be. After all, it’s human nature to only care about the prize and not the journey one takes to claim it, evidenced by the fact that Master Naosuke has now fallen out of favour with you all.”

“Tell us what you’ll do,” I demanded forcefully.

“Very well, Miss Asaji. After the next Motive Day, there will be another trial. If you succeed in the trial, I will reveal to you the identity of the traitor in your group.” I was taken aback; I hadn't expected that answer.  _ They’ll tell us who the traitor is? _

“Why would you want us to know that?” Morihei asked sceptically. “I thought the point of telling us there’s a traitor was to divide us.”

“Well, things aren’t exactly going to plan,” Monoworth admitted. “I’m getting a little frustrated with the traitor now, so I believe that revealing their identity will do quite nicely for a motive to murder. But my lips shall remain sealed.”

“Do you even have lips?” Mina questioned.

“Mina, now’s not the time,” Iowa scolded.

“For now, students, we shall leave you to your exploration,” Monoworth said with finality, “Monomenon and I will be in touch to discuss the next motive soon.” As expected, both bears were once again lifted away, and we were left to contemplate what they’d said.

“They want to reveal the traitor’s identity,” Morino repeated, “but I wonder why? Knowledge that there is a traitor is one of the reasons we’re fighting. Why eliminate it?”

“It sounds like the traitor is causing the mastermind more trouble than they first calculated,” Saza surmised. “But does that make them an ally?”

“Absolutely not,” I said firmly, “they still attacked Tokunaga. What they did to him was unforgivable.”

“Did anyone else notice something that Monoworth hinted at?” Morihei asked.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t hear anything,” Nishi mumbled.

“When Ori challenged the infrastructure of Seiko Academy, the bears suggested that they did not build the institute. In other words, the people masterminding the killing game were not responsible for the construction of Seiko Academy.”

“But why is that important?” Mina asked.

“It could mean that Seiko Academy was designed for an alternate purpose,” Mitsumi claimed. “And the fact that it has become a graveyard for students like us might only be a recent development.”

“But I thought the killing games have been going on for a century?” Iowa said, confused.

“What if the academy was built before then?” I countered. “If the mastermind did not own it this whole time, then what was the purpose of the building before then?” We all pondered the question, but none could ascertain an immediate answer, so we decided to make our way to the fourth floor. As we ascended the elevator, I noticed how much room there was to stand in now that we had lost six of our friends. There was also the absence of Yoneda to consider. In truth, I was really concerned for the Ultimate Polyglot, but Morihei was right. He needed some time alone with his thoughts, because aggression was certainly not in his nature, and to have clobbered and injured someone as intimidating as Nishi was no trivial matter. At the same time, I was wary that there was now an additional conflict within our group. It was already difficult to ignore my worries regarding the traitor, but now we had to contend with Yoneda and his scorn. With a heavy sigh, I shook the concerns from my mind and focused on the search ahead.

\---

“So, there are four new rooms to search here,” I said as we stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor of the fourth floor. “It seems there are two classrooms, 4-A and 4-B, an art room and an office.”

“An art room?” Nishi and Saza exclaimed happily. They ran over to me and stared at the map on the screen of my Seiko-pad.

“Yes,” I chuckled at their enthusiasm. “I gather that you two want to explore there?” They nodded.

“I want Mitsumi to come with me too,” Nishi said, and we all rolled our eyes. With a beet-red face, Mitsumi agreed.

“That leaves the two classrooms and the office,” I declared to the rest of the group. Mina jumped onto Morihei and latched onto her arm, earning a shriek of surprise from Morihei.

“Morihei, let’s go and investigate a classroom! Please?” Mina stuck out her bottom lip and looked up at Morihei pleadingly. Morihei laughed and nodded.

“Okay, that’s fine with me. Let’s all reconvene in Classroom 4-B once we’re done,” with a wave, she was dragged away by an animated Mina. The rest of us decided that Iowa and Morino would check out the other classroom, leaving Miyagawa and I to inspect the office. The office was located farthest from the entrance to the elevator, so we hurried over.

“Do you think we’ll find anything?” he asked me as we walked.

“We should expect to find nothing” I replied, “because then finding something will be a welcome surprise.”

“Well, we shall have to rely on your talent to find it quickly,” he chuckled.

“My talent works both ways, so it’s equally likely that we indeed discover nothing,” I said.

“I was just trying to lighten the mood,” he replied sarcastically, and I smiled. Shortly after that exchange, we approached the office and quickly headed inside. At first glance, it was an ordinary office; a large, ovular oak desk sat at its centre. Atop it stood a lamp, an ink pot and a large lavender plume, and there was a tall, burgundy, leather chair behind it. Along the walls were various oil portraits of Monoworth and Monomenon, as well as three large bookcases whose shelves were filled with bulky binders, stretched to their capacity by virtue of the volumes of paper contained within.

“That’s a lot of paperwork to go through,” Miyagawa noted irritably.

“Let’s have a look at one folder,” I told him, “and we can see if it’s worth waiting for the others to finish and asking for their help.” I approached the nearest bookshelf and reached for a binder at random and pulled it into my arms. A cloud of dust billowed as I wiped the cover with my sleeve and I coughed loudly.

“Fucking hell,” I wheezed, “Miyagawa, how long do you reckon these have been untouched?” He walked over and examined the paper within the binder.

“Well, the binders are fairly new,” he deduced, “I’d say no older than a year. But the paperwork is a lot older, I’d say at least fifty years as a minimum.”

“That would explain the dust,” I spluttered. I opened the binder and held my breath at what awaited us, but I could not have predicted what I saw.

“It’s blank,” Miyagawa said stupidly. I flipped to the next page, but again there were no words, no diagrams, no annotations. It was just blank page after blank page.

“What’s going on?” I asked. I dropped the binder on the floor and retrieved another binder at random from a different bookshelf and scanned the pages quickly. More blank pages. Miyagawa started doing the same.  It was a tiresome task, and each minute crawled by as Miyagawa and I scanned a seemingly endless supply of blank page after blank page. At some point, we both found a spot in the office, sat down with a stack of the documents and began trawling through them one by one. I lost track of the time, and the office was stuffy. To ease the heat, I took off my sweater; Miyagawa, also uncomfortable in the heat, removed his blazer to reveal a tight-fitting white shirt, which only served to distract me momentarily from our hunt. After what seemed an eternity, our task was done. However, we were enraged by the outcome.

“Nothing,” Miyagawa stuttered, flabbergasted. He sank to the floor, a sea of open binders surrounding us both. “I found nothing.”

“That can’t be right,” I said, “there must be at least eighty files that we examined.”

“Ninety-six,” Miyagawa corrected. I glared at him.

“Whatever. The issue is why they’re all blank. What’s the point of having all the fifty year-old pages if they contain no information?”

“It’s probably another sick joke from the bears,” muttered Miyagawa, resting his face in his hands in exhaustion. “What a waste of time!” I looked at the pile of folders we had built in the room, still in shock.

“There must be something that we missed,” I whispered to myself, and began looking around the room for anything else suspicious. But the only other things in the room were the desk, chair, ink pot and quill. At that moment, I noticed something sticking out from behind one of the many stacks of binders. “What’s this?”

“It’s a binder, Ori. It’s just like the other ninety-five we looked at,” Miyagawa said testily.

“No, not the binders. Take a look at this.” Miyagawa stood up and briskly walked to my side as I leaned forward to inspect what I’d seen. Something small and a dull, golden colour was visible against the dark oak of the desk. I narrowed my eyes to focus and realised what I was looking at.

“It’s a keyhole, Miyagawa.”

“I can see that, Ori,” he said, “but a keyhole to what?”

“Perhaps the desk has a hidden compartment,” I guessed, “too bad there’s no key. Typical of my talent to find a potential clue but not the means to access it.”

“Do you know anything about lockpicking?” Miyagawa asked.

“No! Why would I know something like that?”

“It was a question, not an accusation,” he smirked. I harrumphed at him and turned back to the keyhole.

“Perhaps we should try and look for the key.”

“Well, we can rule out the shelves and the binders as its location,” Miyagawa said, relieved. We stood up and began scouring the office once again, but we soon realised that finding a key was a nigh impossible task.

“It’s useless,” I groaned loudly, finally giving in. “We’re never going to find that thing.”

“Well, it’s hardly surprising,” Miyagawa replied. “The bears wouldn’t leave something like a key just lying around. Does that mean we’ve investigated everything?” I looked around the room once more and, aside from the quill and ink pot sitting on the desk, we had checked everything.

“What bird do you think that quill is from?” I asked absent-mindedly. Miyagawa raised an eyebrow at me and shrugged.

“No idea,” he said, “it’s big enough to be an ostrich feather, but ostriches don’t have purple plumes.” I reached out a hand to grab the quill and swirled it around the ink pot, but I noticed something unusual.

“It’s quite heavy for a feather,” I noted. I pulled the quiver out of the ink pot, dripping ink on the desk in the process.

“Careful, Ori,” Miyagawa blurted, “ink stains are hard to remove.” I ignored him and held the tip of the quill close to my face. Ordinarily, the tips of writing quills were pointed, to act as a makeshift pen. But this one was different.

“Miyagawa, look at this,” I held out the quill for him to inspect, “the tip of this feather is a weird rectangle, rather than a point.” He examined it and frowned.

“You’re right,” he hummed, perplexed. He reached for the breast pocket of his navy blue blazer and procured a dark, silk cloth. “May I?” Nodding, I let him take the quill from me as he wiped it free of excess ink. After a few moments of scrubbing, Miyagawa removed the cloth and we both gasped.

“A key!” In Miyagawa’s hand was the plume, whose intended purpose was not to be used as a writing instrument, but rather was the very key we had been searching for.

“Your talent is quite incredible,” Miyagawa said to me, returning the key to my palm. “I shall let you do the honours.” Nodding excitedly, I knelt down by the desk and examined the keyhole and the key we had just discovered. I positioned the feather by the keyhole.  _ A perfect fit _ , I thought as I slotted the key inside and turned. There was a soft clicking sound, followed by another, clunking sound.

“A door just opened on this side of the desk, Ori,” Miyagawa exclaimed in surprise. I quickly stood up and went round to him. On the neighbouring side of the desk to where the keyhole was, a door no bigger than a football had opened. Inside was a journal and another binder, but this one had very few pages inside compared to the ones we had found on the shelves.

“We did it!”

“Now, let’s see if these are clues,” Miyagawa extended his arm inside the secret compartment and retrieved the items. He passed the journal to me and held the binder in his arms, briefly flicking through the pages and scanning the information. I looked down at the journal in my hands, but the front page was blank. I looked at the blurb, which also bore no text. Confused, I opened the journal to it’s first page:

_ Amano Katsuo, The Ultimate Cytologist _

I didn’t recognise the name, but I assumed that this Amano Katsuo was one of the previous students from a bygone killing game.  _ So, he was the Ultimate Cytologist _ , I thought. I turned the next page, which was a diary entry from around seventy years ago. I didn’t read the entry verbatim, but the gist was that this Amano was, as I had been, excited to be accepted as a student at Seiko Academy. The entry detailed his impressions of his classmates, and in many ways it mirrored my own thoughts when I arrived. Reading the journal gave me hope that, within the pages of the journal, we would find some more clues about the truth of the killing game. I smiled.

“Miyagawa, we found a clue!” I cried, hopping up and down excitedly. Without thinking I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around him. “We found a clue!”

“Easy there, Ori- woah!” Miyagawa shouted and lost his balance as I clumsily collided with him, and we both fell backwards into one of the piles of binders, sending paper and folders flying everywhere. I cried out as I fell, but landed on something firm and warm.

“Ouch!”

“Ori, what are you doing?” Miyagawa groaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head and puffing away a piece of paper that had landed on his face.

“Sorry,” I said shyly, but I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. “I got a bit carried away.” I looked up and realised that I was lying on top of him in a rather compromising position. I squealed and clambered off him as fast as I could, hiding my blush behind the journal. Equally flustered, Miyagawa slowly got to his feet and brushed himself down.

“No paper cuts, hate those buggers,” he mumbled to himself. He looked back at me, his cheeks still pink. “We should take this stuff to the others, they’re probably waiting for us in 4-B.”

\---

“What took you guys so long?” Iowa asked once Miyagawa and I entered the classroom. Everyone else, except for Yoneda, had gathered in the classroom and looked relieved when they saw us.  _ I think they’ve been waiting a while. _

“Saza said you guys were making out,” Mina said brightly, and Saza spluttered.

“Mina! You weren’t supposed to tell them that!”

“Sorry, guys,” I apologised, ignoring the latter comment, “but there was a lot in that office.” I explained that there had been almost a hundred binders of blank pages, and that Miyagawa and I had checked all of them just in case. I also told them about the quill, its second identity as a key, the secret compartment and the journal and accompanying documents we found.

“Well, I suppose we can always rely on your talent to find us clues, Ori,” Mina laughed, “because nothing was found in the other rooms.”

“Nothing? Nothing at all?” I repeated. Morino shook his head.

“Both classrooms and the arts room didn’t have anything that you wouldn’t expect to find in them. My guess is that not a lot of past killing games have made it this far, given how barren the rooms are.”

“We certainly didn’t discover anything as extraordinary as a plume that’s actually a key,” Nishi agreed. “The arts room is amazing though, isn’t it, Sazzy?” The younger twin nodded fervently.

“It sure is,” she said happily. “I think Nishi and I are going to lose a lot of time there. Don’t worry, Mitsumi, I’m sure my brother wouldn’t forget about you!” Mitsumi, who was standing next to Nishi, turned bright red.

“What? What m-makes you think… never mind…” he whispered, taking a step to the side to hide behind Nishi’s tall frame.

“Ori,” Morihei began, changing the subject, “could you read the contents of that journal to us. You said it belongs to a former student of the academy?” I nodded.

“Yes, it belonged to someone called Amano Katsuo,” I said. The others, Miyagawa included, looked at me expectantly and I sighed. “Oh, very well, I’ll read them out.” Clearing my throat anxiously, I opened the journal to its first page and began to read.


	37. The Shadows Came to Me

_ March 14th 1955 _

_ Today is my first day at Seiko Academy! I’m so excited to finally be recognised for my dedication to cytology, and I can’t wait to hone my skills and research at this prestigious school. I met my other classmates in the morning, all Ultimate Students like me. There aren’t many of us, only sixteen in number. _

_ The welcoming number was surprisingly… unwelcoming. So far, none of my classmates nor I have caught sight of any of our professors, not even Kinji Ishotaru, who had invited us all here. It’s a little disconcerting to walk around a school as a group of sixteen. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said the academy feels abandoned. But there’s no need to worry, I am sure. I’m going to dine with my classmates now, I will report back later. _

_ \--- _

_ March 15th 1955 _

_ This school is a nightmare. We’ve been tricked! Oh my God... We met the headmaster today, Kinji Ishotaru. At least, we think it was him. He and four other figures, cloaked completely from head to toe like the grim reaper, came to us today. They told us that we are trapped inside Seiko Academy forever, and that our loved ones have been murdered. Is this true? Are my family dead? Mother, Father, and little Tenko? _

_ They told us that we’re now participating in the twenty-seventh variant of a game, where we have to kill another student to escape, so long as the others don’t discover the identity of the culprit. What kind of madness is this? One boy - I don’t remember his name, I think he was the Ultimate Wrestler or something - tried to fight the people in cloaks and they… shot him. He just fell to the ground, blood flying everywhere. Then they shot him again… and again… and again... I can still hear the gunshots and the screams of my classmates. Oh hell… what’s going to happen to me?! _

_ \--- _

_ March 23rd 1955 _

_ Someone murdered another student - stabbed them in the throat with a knife. We have to investigate the school for clues to try and find the culprit. I feel sick, and I can’t keep the sight of their dead body out of my head. I can’t believe that one of my friends did this. Are they even my friends if they can kill one of us at a moment’s notice? I don’t think I can do this. _

_ The Shadows came to us. They’ve introduced new rules to the game. If we figure out who killed our friend, we get to live. If we’re wrong, the murderer is allowed to roam free in the outside world. Sacrificing fourteen lives to save your own - did someone really do it? _

_ \--- _

_ March 24th 1955 _

_ We survived the class trial. I can’t believe that she was the culprit. Even though I couldn’t forgive her for murdering our friend, she told us why she had done it and my resolve wavered. Her mother was terminally ill, and she wanted to escape so she could say goodbye, so she turned to murder. Then, the Shadows reappeared. They told us that the student would have to face her ‘punishment,’ but we didn’t know what this meant. Then they shot her, just like they had with the Ultimate Wrestler. They shot her once in the head. More bloodshed. _

_ Only thirteen students left, and only ten days have passed. Why is this happening to me? The world needs my research, I can’t die in a place like this… _

_ \--- _

_ July 7th(??) 1955 _

_ There are only four students left. The others are gone. Dead. Murdered. Executed. _

_ I’m drinking, just like Father used to whenever he was angry or sad. I wonder if he is going to rescue me? Or is he dead… I don’t remember… or what about little… What was my sister’s name? Do I even have a sister? _

_ I remember my classmates’ screams. They all have different screams, some high-pitched, some panicked. _

_ The Shadows came to us again. Another motive, they said, but it’s okay. I won’t lose. I’m tired of this game, but I have to win it. _

_ I found a bottle of cyanide yesterday. They say it tastes like almonds, don’t they? Perhaps I should make something with ‘almonds’ tomorrow for the others... _

_ \--- _

_ July 8th(??) 1955 _

_ I did it. _

_ I killed them all. Three dead bodies. They really enjoyed that almond cake I baked for them. I guess they didn’t know anything about the properties of cyanide. It was actually quite funny, watching them clutch at their chests and their throats in desperation. But it was already too late. I remember that I laughed. Why did I do that? _

_ The Shadows came to me. They said that I was the winner. I know, I said. _

_ I am the winner of the twenty-seventh killing game of Seiko Academy. _

_ I am… despair. _

_ \--- _

I finished reading the entries from the diary, my hands trembling slightly.

“Woah,” was all Mina could say, her face pale.

“How awful,” Morihei whispered, “fifteen students killed in four months.”

“And this happened in the fifties?” Mitsumi squeaked in fright.

“More importantly,” interrupted Morino sharply, “who are these Shadows? This Amano makes mention of them several times, but we haven’t learned about them before.”

“Perhaps they mastermind the killing games. That’s how they’re presented in Amano’s dairy,” I suggested.

“I’m not so sure,” Miyagawa said. “The mastermind of our killing game are the Blades of Despair, as they were responsible for the killing game that Ultimate Cryptologist took part in. Why would there be two different groups involved in organising these?”

“Then maybe the traitor in our group is a member of the Shadows,” Morihei proposed.

“That would explain why the bears claim the traitor is working separately to them,” Saza considered, “but they also said that the traitor is now an obstacle to them. Are the Blades of Despair and the Shadows enemies to one another? And are the Shadows our enemy?” Nobody was able to answer Saza’s last question.  _ Who is our enemy? _

“Even so, at least this diary has given us a lot more insight to how a past killing game has gone,” Nishi stated. “We’ve heard first hand that winning the killing games makes you insane, so we should use this as an excuse to not fight one another.”

“Perhaps you should discuss that with Yoneda,” Saza told him with a biting tone, “since the only conflict in our group is one you caused.” Nishi frowned, but nodded.

“There’s something else that concerns me,” Iowa added hurriedly, trying to avoid a quarrel between the twins. “Kinji Ishotaru allegedly invited Amano and his classmates to Seiko Academy. Didn’t Amano’s killing game happen seventy years ago?”

“That’s a good point,” Nishi realised. “It makes sense that he would have been around for the twenty-seventh killing game, but it is impossible that he is alive during our killing game. We already discussed this.”

“So, why did we all get an invite from Kinji Ishotaru to come to Seiko Academy, if he’s not even alive?” I asked.

“The mastermind could just be using Kinji’s name as a way to keep traditions of the killing game alive,” Iowa suggested, “it’s the sort of twisted thing I would expect at this point.”

“Also, Amano mentions other figures besides Kinji,” Morino reminded us, “which is reason to believe that there is more than one person responsible for trapping us here. This makes the probability that the real Kinji Ishotaru is dead much higher.”

“Even so, the diary doesn’t tell us much, but just raises more questions,” Saza said irritably.

“Is there anything else in that journal, Ori?” Mina asked. “It seems like there weren’t many entries for how many pages the diary has.”

“It’s mostly blank,” I said sadly, “Amano only documented the murders and trials, and nothing else- oh, what’s this?” I had been distractedly turning the pages in the journal, which were almost all void of any writing. However, I had gotten to the last double-page spread, and I stopped. It was covered in writing, but it was not structured in neat paragraphs, but was cribbled in arbitrary directions. Most of it was, at first glance, gibberish.

“Did you find something, Ori?” Saza queried worriedy. I showed the others what I was looking at.

“If you can make sense of it, could you read to us again?” Morihei beseeched.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

\---

_ The Shadows came to me. _

_ It’s been twenty years. _

_ I have been working hard, just like they asked. _

_ Their Eminence said thank you. That was nice. _

_ The Shadows came to me. _

_ The ‘project’ continues, it’s almost ready. _

_ The Shadows came to me. _

_ They have gathered another set of participants. That is forty-nine. _

_ They want to test them. I said I help. They say no. Finish project. Yes. _

_ The Shadows came to me. _

_ Project is finished. They cry. They’re happy. I cry. _

_ I know I have to say goodbye soon. _

_ Project was a success. _

_ Fifty projects done now. _

_ The Shadows came to me. _

_ They have new pets. _

_ The Shadows came to me. They say I die. _

_ Thank you, Your Eminence. _

_ \--- _

“What the hell was that?” Nishi asked, his mouth open in shock.

“I’m so confused,” Mina grabbed her head.

“The Shadows,” Morino thought aloud, “who are they? And what is this project that they asked Amano to work on?”

“He said there were fifty, yes? He’s probably referring to the killing games themselves,” Miyagawa stated.

“How do you figure?” Saza questioned him.

“Well, Amano won the twenty-seventh game. He then states that twenty years passed before the Shadows returned to him. Given that the killing games have been ongoing for a century, and we are the hundredth group, it’s safe to assume that they happen annually. So, twenty years after the twenty-seventh game would take you to forty-seven, which is pretty close to fifty. Amano may have just been rounding his numbers when he said twenty.” There was a small murmur of agreement in the group.

“Then, who is this Eminence person?”

“We heard about them after Edward’s trial, during the investigation of the third floor,” I remembered. “The Ultimate Cryptologist had mentioned them, also, but they were talking about the Blades of Despair.”

“However, the way that Amano talks about this Eminence person,” Mina contemplated, “it seems like Their Eminence works with the Shadows.”

“Is it possible that both groups refer to their leader as Their Eminence?” Mitsumi asked.

“It is, but that’s such a specific way of addressing someone, it can’t be coincidence,” I said, even more confused than before. The Blades of Despair, and the Shadows?  _ How are they different? How are they the same? _

“There must be a connection somewhere,” Morino stated, “we’ll have to figure it out.”

“I’m not smart enough to do that,” Mina yawned. “And now I’m hungry. Iowa, can we have food now?”

“You’ve only just had your breakfast,” Iowa cried. Mina pouted.

“But Ori’s reading makes me sleepy,” she whined, “so I need more energy. Please, Iowa?” The Ultimate Chocolatier groaned, but I could tell she was fighting a smile.

“Okay, Mina, I shall make something for you. Do you want to help me, Saza?”

“Only if the dish has cheese in it!” Saza chuckled and ran after Mina, who had sprinted away as soon as she heard Iowa agree to cook for her. Mitsumi then awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Um, Nishi, we need to redress your wound,” he said to the taller boy, “so we should go to the second floor. And we should probably try and speak with Yoneda.”

“Ah, you’re right. Thanks, Mitsumi,” Nishi subconsciously brushed his fingertips against the bruise on his face. He turned to me. “If you guys find or think of anything else, let us know on the Seiko-pads, yeah?” I nodded and the two boys left, Mitsumi fishing what looked like a dark grey piece of fabric from his pocket as they turned the corner.

“They really are a cute couple,” Morihei giggled once they were out of earshot.

“They are,” I said, joining in with the laughter.

“Morihei, Ori, please focus,” Morino urged. “We still have this matter to discuss.” I huffed impatiently.  _ Stop being serious all the time, Morino _ .

“I agree with Morino, we should summarise what we’ve learned from Amano,” Miyagawa said, and he took the journal from me and glanced through the pages.

“The first thing is the group known as the Shadows”, Morino began, “and who they are. There is also the issue of their relation to the Blades of Despair and to the killing games.” From there, Morino, Miyagawa, Morihei and I continued our discussion of the new clues we had found in the office. Unfortunately, try as we might, we were unable to ascertain any watertight conclusions. We could only theorise, but as we were doing so, we were unaware that someone was listening to our conversation. They had been listening for a long time, in the shadows. Someone who would take the investigation into their own hands, no matter the cost.


	38. Ebbs and Flows

The next afternoon, I was walking through the first-floor corridor. Miyagawa had told me at breakfast to meet him outside the entrance to the pool at three o’clock. I had been a little hesitant at first, but then I ashamedly remembered Miyagawa’s physique and how he had looked in just his swimming shorts during the pool party, and I quickly agreed to his request. It was now the scheduled meeting time, and I was debating whether I should make an excuse to not spend time with him.  _ Calm down, Ori _ , I scolded myself,  _ there’s no guarantee that Miyagawa even wants to go swimming. He could just want to chat; that’s what friends do after all. _ Nonetheless, I had brought my bathing suit and some towels with me in a blue duffel bag in the event that we made use of the school’s facilities. When I turned the corner, Miyagawa was already waiting outside the entrance, a rucksack slung over his shoulder. When he heard my footsteps, he turned to me and smiled widely.

“Ori! You’re here!”

“You almost sound surprised,” I said. Miyagawa scratched the back of his head.

“I thought you might not come after all,” he admitted, “I thought you would worry about what the others might think of us swimming together.”

“There’s nothing unusual about that,” I reassured him, despite worrying internally about what the others might think of us swimming together. Miyagawa’s perfect teeth seemed to brighten even more.

“I’m glad you think so! Shall we get changed and meet at the poolside in-” he looked at his watch, “ten minutes?” I agreed and we each headed into our respective changing room. I put down my bag, took out my navy grey swimsuit and laid it on a nearby bench. I began to remove my clothes and fold them neatly, placing them next to the bathing suit. As I undressed, a nearby mirror caught my eye and I moved towards it, taking in the appearance of my body in its reflection.  _ Even your physique is ordinary _ , I heard a voice sneer at me _ . You don’t have a body even close to someone like Ouji. Do you  _ really  _ think someone as extraordinary as Miyagawa would ever have feelings for someone as boring as you? _ I felt my eyes sting with the threat of fresh tears, and I hurriedly wiped my eyes.  _ It doesn’t matter what Miyagawa thinks about me,  _ I told myself,  _ my body is fine. It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine… _

“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine,” I whispered to myself, my breath slightly heavier than it had been before I undressed. I shut my eyes, walked away from the mirror and put on my bathing suit.  _ That’s odd,  _ I thought, _ it hasn’t always been this loose. _ I fingered the gap between the fabric and my thigh and frowned.

“Great, now he’s going to think my body is the wrong shape for this bathing suit,” I muttered agitatedly. I sighed in frustration; I didn’t have enough time to change back, and I had made a promise to Miyagawa. Steeling myself for the worst, I went to the pool, taking care not to look in the mirror as I passed by.

\---

“Wow.” That was all Miyagawa said when he saw me approach. Blushing furiously, I tried my hardest to stare only at his face as I strolled along the pool’s edge.

“That’s all you have to say?” I joked, my hands subconsciously resting to where the folds in the fabric were so that he wouldn’t see how poorly the costume fit me.

“You look great! I think that colour really suits you, Ori,” he beamed at me, causing my face to get hotter.

“Um, thank you. You, uh, look nice too,” I said quickly.  _ How can he look nice? He's only wearing shorts! Don’t look down, Ori _ , I kept telling myself, fearful that if I looked at his body, I wouldn't be able to peel my eyes away.

“Shall we get to it?” Miyagawa asked awkwardly. “I brought some snacks if you get hungry. I had to sneak past Iowa to get them, and you know how she can be.”

“I appreciate your sacrifice, kind sir,” I said mockingly. I looked at the gently rippling water in the pool and a sudden idea cropped into my head. “Hey, Miyagawa, would you mind testing the water’s temperature before we start swimming?” He didn’t even hesitate.

“Sure thing,” he said happily, walking to my side at the pool’s edge. He stretched out his foot and dipped his toes tentatively.  _ You fool _ .

“How is it?” I asked, quietly creeping behind Miyagawa, my hands outstretched.

“It’s nice. Tepid. I don’t there’ll be any- woah!” Miyagawa shouted in shock as my palms connected with the small of his back and I shoved. Losing his balance, Miyagawa fell head first into the pool, causing a huge splash. A few seconds later, his head bobbed above the water’s surface. His hair had messily fallen in front of his eyes and he coughed and sputtered a little bit.

“How is the water now?” I said between shrieks of laughter.

“Ori, you-!” Miyagawa tried to say with a serious face, but he smirked and started chuckling too, brushing his hair to one side. “Well, don’t keep me waiting!” I took some deep breaths and nodded.

“Ready? Here I come!” I yelled as I ran to the edge of the pool and jumped. As I landed in the pool and sunk beneath its surface, I saw Miyagawa’s frame treading water.

_ He has really nice abs _ .

\---

“I win!” Miyagawa shouted as he touched the edge of the pool. I begrudgingly followed suit a few seconds later.

“You got lucky,” I told him, “I turned poorly in the last leg.”

“I thought luck was your talent? Well, in any case, that means I’ve won thirteen races, and you’ve won eight! Do you finally admit defeat?”

“Yes,” I conceded, “but only if you’re less smug about it. Besides, your body is so much more athletic than mine.”

“Are you kidding? You have a great body- uh,” Miyagawa clasped his hand over his mouth at the realisation of what he had just said. I felt my face grow hot, despite the lukewarm waters, and I pulled myself out of the pool to sit on its edge. Miyagawa edged closer to me and rested his arms on the side next to me, resting his chin in the crevice between his forearms.

“Thank you, but you’re-”

“Let’s not compare, and just say we both have good looks, yeah?”

“Alright,” I agreed, bemused. But then I thought of another question. “So, why did you want to do this?”

“You mean swimming?” Miyagawa looked down in thought. “I just thought it would be nice to spend some time together that isn’t investigating a crime scene. I wanted to do something fun with you and cheer you up - you’ve seemed quite down recently. I don’t want you to be sad.”  _ Attractive and kind-hearted,  _ I thought miserably,  _ this is problematic. _

“That’s very sweet of you, but why with me?”

“Is that really a question?”

“...Yes?” I said with some uncertainty, and Miyagawa sighed with a coy smile.

“I’m closer to you than anyone else in the academy, if that wasn’t obvious already,” he replied simply. “Therefore, it’s only natural that I spend more time with you, which brings me onto my next point.” I looked at him quizzically.

“What do you mean?”

“After the last trial,” Miyagawa began solemnly, “I was thinking about my relationships with people. Yoneda and Tokunaga were really close to one another, but now Yoneda believes he was the only one that truly cared about Tokunaga. It made me realise how little I actually know about you, Ori. So, I wanted to change that, and surmised that the best way to learn more about you would be to spend more time with you.”

“I see,” was all I was able to say in response. “So, you want to know more about me?”

“I’d like that,” Miyagawa nodded, looking at me with his inquisitive chestnut eyes. “I already told you about my family, so why don’t we start with yours?”

“My family? Well, there’s not much to tell,” I admitted. “I’m an only child, so no brothers or sisters. My dad is a banker and my mother was a vocal coach. We are a very ordinary family, or at least we were. After Edward’s trial, I don’t really know what to think.” I remembered the video, and flashing images of my decapitated parents appeared.

“You said your mother used to be a vocal coach?” Miyagawa repeated, keen to divert the conversation away from the killing game.

“That’s right. She fell ill about fifteen years ago, though I was too young to remember the specifics at the time. Some undiagnosed condition that basically began to eat her body from the inside out, starting with her bone marrow. Luckily, my family is quite wealthy, so we were able to afford the best healthcare available, but we all knew. The doctors knew, my family knew, even I knew.”

“You knew what?”

“We were only preventing an inevitable day,” I sniffed, tears stinging my eyes, “we were not curing my mother. There was no cure for what she had. I was told that my mother was on a countdown; no matter how many tubes we inserted into her body, all we achieved was a slowed-down version of the same countdown. And it’s all my fault.”

“What?” Miyagawa was visibly confused. “How is that your fault? You didn’t give your mother that condition.”

“My talent.”

“You don’t mean-”

“My talent is extreme luck, Miyagawa,” I reminded him, “and I’m certain it affects those around me. No, I know it does. My mother wouldn’t have fallen ill had it not been for my talent.”

“How can you say that-”

“My talent killed Uehara, too!” I cried. “Edward wanted to kill me, but Uehara died in my place. She could still be alive, but my talent took her life away. I hate my talent, and I hate me! Why? What do I have this talent for killing people?” I burst into tears, and Miyagawa immediately pulled himself out of the pool, sat on the edge next to me and wrapped his arm around me comfortingly. Sobbing, I let my head rest on his shoulder.

“Let it all out,” he told me calmly, and I cried for a while. With his free arm, Miyagawa reached over and held my hand in his, and I didn’t let go. I didn’t want to.

Once I had calmed down, I thanked Miyagawa, but made no effort to move my head away from him nor remove my hand from his. It felt reassuring that he was here, even if he was dripping wet and stunk of chlorine.

“I’m sorry for that,” I muttered, “I didn’t expect that to happen.” Miyagawa chuckled and shook his head.

“There’s nothing to apologise for, Ori,” he assured me, “friends are supposed to be open with one another. But you needn’t blame yourself for those things, not anymore, Ori. Uehara, your mother - I believe that you aren’t guilty for what happened to them. I know you’re not. In fact, you’re really quite remarkable, you know.”

“Now you’re being too nice,” I laughed.

“I’m being honest,” he corrected, “to hide all that from everyone and still be as reliable and wonderful as you are throughout this game - I don’t think I’ve met anyone as strong as that. You astonish me every day.”

“Miyagawa…”

“Ah, you can call me Gawa,” he said, “b-but only if you want to. Um, it’s not a big deal if-” he stopped speaking as my lips made very swift contact with his cheek. Both our faces flushed bright pink. “Ori? You, um, kissed me?”

“You won the swimming races,” I replied, quickly thinking for a reason to explain my impulsive action, “so, a winner needs a prize, right? Um, that was your prize.” I felt unbelievably stupid saying it.  _ Anyone would think I was a twelve year-old girl, talking like that. _

“I see,” Miyagawa said slowly, touching his cheek with the tips of his middle and index fingers. “If that’s the case, I think I should challenge you to some more swimming races.” As he said that, his signature smirk returned to his lips and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine,” I conceded, “but don’t think it’ll be so easy to win next time!”

“You  _ can  _ be rather stubborn, so I’m sure you’ll present a challenge,” Miyagawa chuckled.

“I’m glad you acknowledge my skills,” I said. I gave his hand a small squeeze, then stood up. “I think it might be getting late, so we should get ready for dinner with the others.” He stood up also and looked down at me; our faces were a few centimetres apart.

“That’s a good idea,” he agreed. With a delayed gaze into each others’ eyes, we turned away and walked back to the changing rooms. “See you later, Ori! And thank you for today, it was a lot of fun!”

“You’re welcome,” I called back, “see you soon!” I looked over my shoulder at the retreating figure of the Ultimate Appraiser and heard myself whisper: “Thank you, Gawa.”


	39. Cheesecake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from the perspective of Iowa.

I was already regretting the day. Planning meals and cooking for everyone in the kitchen had always been my way of finding solace during this killing game. Even though our friends were dying, the kitchen was the one area of the school that made me feel safe. Until now.

“I’m so excited!” came a squeal from Mina.

“Me too!” Saza cheered. “I’ve never baked before!” I had foolishly agreed to teach these two some basic cooking skills. I had tried to teach Mina before, but that had been when Ouji was… I shook my head. It was down to me to look after the two girls now; Ori and Morihei were capable of looking after themselves, but they preferred to spend time with other classmates. Ori also had Miyagawa, despite how much they tried to act disinterested, and Morihei had her beetles.

Ever since Uehara’s death, I had felt a sense of responsibility for Mina’s welfare, so Saza and I decided to take her under our wing jointly. Mina was doing a lot better now, which was admirable considering what she had gone through. It only served to make me more nervous for what was inevitably to come, but even someone as stoic as I found it hard to resist the infectious snorts that accompanied Mina’s giggling.

“Now, you two, calm down, I’m only teaching you the basics,” I reminded them. They stopped bouncing on their feet and frowned.

“The basics?” Saza repeated, puzzled. “I thought baking was really easy, so once you’ve learned the basics, haven’t you learnt everything?”

“Not at all,” I replied, “otherwise there would be no need for bakeries and chocolatiers such as myself. Baking is quite scientific; there’s lots of chemical reactions and things like that which occur during the process. Measuring the ingredients, mixing them into a bowl and putting the mixture into an oven is just the beginning.”

“I had no idea baking was from science,” Mina exclaimed in admiring surprise. “You’re a scientist too, Iowa!”

“No, I’m a chocolatier,” I responded, “I just know how to bake other desserts. Knowing the science behind it is what makes me an Ultimate.”

“Wow,” Saza and Mina both whispered in unison, and I felt my cheeks heat a little.

“That aside,” I said, briskly diverting the direction of conversation, “what kind of dessert would you like to bake?”

“Cheese!”

“Saza, cheese is not a dessert.”

“Oh.”

“What about a cake?” Mina suggested. I nodded.

“What kind? There’s lots to choose from,” I began to rapidly list all the variations of cake I could think of, from tarts to pastels, from tiered cakes to upside-down cakes.

“Carrot cake!” Mina finally shouted, snorting with laughter.

“You can’t put carrots in a cake! Right, Iowa?” Saza retorted, but I shook my head.

“Carrot cake is a common dessert, and has been a favourite for centuries,” I told her frankly, “after being popularised in Europe during the Middle Ages. I have to admit, even though I don’t really like desserts, carrot cake isn’t a terrible idea!”

“Carrot cake!” Mina shouted again, and Saza pouted. I gave her a look that reminded her that we were doing this for Mina, and she sighed.

“Alright, let’s make a carrot cake!”

“Okay,” I said happily. I handed each of them an apron and showed them how to tie the knot behind them. After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts, accompanied by Saza’s frustrated cursing, we were ready to begin baking.

_ This should be easy,  _ I told myself,  _ it’s just the basics of baking. What could possibly go wrong? _ As that thought entered my mind, so too did many possible scenarios that caused me great worry.  _ Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen. _

\---

Everything was on fire. The cake was in the oven, and I had stepped away from the kitchen for a few moments. When I returned, I saw the scene unfurling before me.

“What happened?” I screamed.

“Saza did it!” Mina pointed her finger accusingly.

“Mina!” Saza cried in shock, desperately trying to fan the flames with an oven tray. “This is your fault! Iowa asked  _ you _ to watch the oven while I cleaned the utensils.”

“But why is the oven on  _ fire? _ ” I yelled, coughing as the smoke got to me. I urgently ran around the room, searching for the fire blanket.

“I didn’t want to wait forty minutes for the cake to finish, so I turned up the temperature to maximum…” Mina admitted sheepishly. I blanched.

“You did  _ what _ ?”

“I got impatient,” she apologised.

“We can have this discussion later,” Saza shouted, “we need to stop this fire!” Nodding, I knelt down to look under the cabinets.  _ Found you! _ Lying inconspicuously beneath the cupboards was the fire blanket I had been searching for.  _ I thought these were meant to be kept in an accessible, visible area of the kitchen? _ I ran over to Saza, who was still waving the oven tray maniacally in a feeble attempt to hinder the flames’ spread, threw the blanket over the fire and pressed down as hard as I could. I ignored the pain as I felt the heat of the oven scorch my skin, and after a few minutes the fire was completely dissipated.

“That was a close one,” Mina cheered, as though what had just happened was only a minor incident. I looked down at my forearms, which had reddened considerably from touching a red-hot oven. I rolled down my sleeves so that they wouldn’t see.

“What on earth were you thinking, Mina? You put us all in danger!” I shouted, and Mina jumped in surprise.

“I just wanted to eat the cake…”

“And you didn’t think to check with me whether turning an oven to its maximum temperature would have any effect?” I knew my voice was shaking with anger.  _ How can I protect you if you can’t even consider your own safety, Mina? _

“No, I-”

“You could have hurt Saza, or even worse yourself!” Saza turned away in embarrassment as I shouted, and Mina’s eyes welled with tears.

“I’m really sorry,” Mina began to apologise, but I interrupted her.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Just be more careful in future.” While I was still really angry, I didn’t want to hurt Mina’s feelings, and I  _ really  _ didn’t want to deal with somebody crying.  _ Mina has been through enough _ , I told myself,  _ you kept her safe from the fire and that’s all that matters. _

“I managed to salvage some of the cake that wasn’t cremated,” Saza joked hesitantly, breaking the awkward silence. I raised an eyebrow sceptically.

“I’m surprised the tin survived, let alone the cake.”

“Well, there’s no harm in trying it, right?” Saza held out a plate which held a few scraps of amber sponge.  _ That doesn’t look edible _ , I thought,  _ but I can’t upset Mina. _

“I guess not,” I regrettably agreed and took the smallest piece I could find. Mina and Saza took larger pieces and I winced as I put it near my tongue. I didn’t even want to breathe.  _ If I get food poisoning from this _ ,  _ Mina can fend for herself. _ I turned my head away slightly so that the other two wouldn’t see my reaction. With a gulp, I put the piece of cake in my mouth and chewed.

“Blergh!” I wanted to vomit. There were unmistakable hints of carrot and cinnamon there, but there was also the taste of smoke, overbaked dough and something tangy and bitter. I kept chewing; I knew the taste well, but I couldn’t think of any ingredients we’d added that would taste bitter. Then, I realised what it was, and I whirled round to face the other girls, only to see that Saza was edging closer to the entrance to the kitchen. When she saw me looking at her, she ran.

“Saza? Where are you going?” Mina cried after her, but she had already left the room. I saw red, and I sprinted after her, crumbs flying out of my mouth as I roared:

“SAZA YASU! HOW DARE YOU PUT CHEESE IN THE CAKE!”


	40. Boys in Candlelight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from Mitsumi's perspective.

I didn’t know why I was nervous. That morning, Nishi had very vaguely asked me to come to the music hall in the evening. I was on my way to him now, but I hadn’t seen him all day, and when I had asked the others where he was, they had either told me they didn’t know or gave me more vague answers. I had looked all over for him, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Only a few hours of the day had passed, and I was already missing the Ultimate Tattoo Artist.

“I wonder why he wants to meet me in the music hall,” I wondered aloud, my feet making small thuds as they patted against the carpeted hallway of the second floor. As far as I was aware, Nishi couldn’t play any instruments, nor had I seen him dance (I didn’t count swaying side to side as dancing). The only other thought that had occurred to me was that he was going to request a private show from me and my talent. I blushed. _ No, he wouldn’t ask me that. Besides, I don’t do those performances. Not anymore. _

I approached the entrance slowly and checked the time on my Seiko-pad. _ Right on time! _ I turned the corner and prepared myself for the worst, but was greeted with something completely different.

“Mimi! You came!” In the centre of the floor stood a lone table, draped in a velvety, magenta tablecloth. On opposite ends of the table were two chairs, and atop the table was a small, round candle, whose tiny amber danced timidly. Several platters of food had been positioned carefully around the table, as had a plate for the two chairs, complete with silver cutlery. I could see meats, cheeses, a salad and some other, smaller plates of bread rolls, cupcakes and sauces. Simply looking at the feast caused my stomach to grumble, and my mouth dried a little at the thought of eating it all.

“Nishi? What’s all this?” I asked as I walked over to him, but then my breath caught as I looked properly at him. Standing sheepishly besides the table was Nishi, but he was dressed in the same suit that he had worn for the concert. His hair, which he normally let fall in a mess, was now neatly brushed, slicked back and tied up in a bun at the back of his head. With his hair tied up, the tattoos on his neck, which I had previously never been able to look at, were now visible. The top button of his dress shirt was undone, and an untied bow was wrapped unceremoniously underneath the collar. _ He looks really handsome. _

“Wow,” was all I was able to whisper. I felt my eyes widen as I realised I was just staring at him, and I looked away in embarrassment. Nishi seemed to not notice and started talking.

“I thought it would be nice to spend some time together,” he said shyly, “so I asked Iowa for some help to set up a meal, just for you and me.” He gestured towards the food and bottle of-

“Is that wine?” I exclaimed. Nishi laughed.

“No, Iowa wouldn’t let me touch the wine - she said it was for cooking only, so she gave me an empty bottle and filled it with water.” I nodded, relieved. I had drank alcohol before, but I didn’t like the taste at all.

“So, you prepared all this? For me?” I squeaked, my cheeks hot underneath my mask.

“Of course! I did have a little help from Iowa, as Saza and I don’t know the first thing about cooking,” Nishi admitted, “but I prepared everything else, and asked the others to keep you distracted.”

“That would explain why I couldn’t find you all afternoon…”

“You were looking for me?” Nishi asked, blushing.

“O-of course! We always spend the days together,” I giggled slightly at Nishi’s reaction. _ Even when he’s nervous, he’s handsome _, I thought. Nishi then signalled for me to take the seat next to him by pulling it from underneath the table. Smiling widely underneath my mask, I bounced over and happily sat in the chair, my feet barely reaching the floor. Nishi then moved around the table and sat in his own chair and poured us both a glass of water, smiling at me the entire time.

“Well, dig in, Mimi!” Nishi encouraged me, moving some of the food from one plate to his own and began attacking it with his knife and fork. I hesitantly did the same, taking a bread roll and some butter. Carefully spreading the butter on a slice, I lifted the bottom of my mask cautiously and slipped the food into my mouth, chewing slowly and methodically. Subconsciously, I raised my hand to cover my mouth so that Nishi wouldn’t try and glimpse my face. _ I can’t let him see; he wouldn’t do any of this if he saw me. _

We mostly ate in silence. Small conversation would surface between mouthfuls of delicious food - I made a note to thank Iowa for her help when I next saw her. I found the silence comforting, mostly because Nishi was with me. He was the only student who made me feel protected in this academy. I still regarded the others as friends, but characters like Morino, Ori, Morihei and Yoneda still scared me a little. Even Iowa could disconcert me, but only when I was in the kitchen at the same time as her. But whenever I was around Nishi, or sensed he was nearby, I knew I had nothing to be scared of, and for that I was eternally grateful to him. I’d never had a friend like Nishi before, and the more time I spent with him, the more wrong it felt to be away from him. Deep down, I understood what these feelings meant, but I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge them. Nishi could never know what these feelings were, as they would change his perception of me, and I was already so happy to be his friend.

“Wow, that was absolutely scrumptious!” Nishi sighed, content. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and put it on his plate. Leaning back in his chair, he sighed again. “Man, Iowa is the best cook I’ve ever met. Don’t you agree?” My mouth was still full, so I hummed in agreement. Once I had swallowed, I replied properly.

“Yes, that was really nice! But, I have to ask…”

“What’s wrong, Mimi? Did you not like it?”

“No,” I immediately corrected him, waving my hands frantically, “I really liked the food! I just don’t understand why you would want to do this with me only and not share the meal with everyone else.” Nishi frowned.

“If I did that,” he replied, “then it would be no different to us all having dinner in the cafeteria. I wanted to be alone… with you.” I gulped and wrung my hands, desperately fighting an oncoming heat to my cheeks.

“I see,” was all I said.

“Well, there’s more to it than that…” Nishi suddenly revealed. He said it so quietly I thought I had misheard him.

“Huh?”

“There is another reason for me doing this,” Nishi coughed awkwardly, as if what he wanted to say would refuse to leave his lips. “I… wanted to treat you to a date.” My chest unexpectedly felt very heavy as the weight of Nishi’s words fell on me.

“A date!” I squealed. Nishi’s face flushed red.

“There is… a distinct possibility,” he began to explain, “that I may have some feelings that extend beyond friendship when I think about you, Mimi. However, even though we’re really close, I still find it very difficult to read your mood. I never know what you’re thinking or feeling, so I wanted to be alone with you so that I could learn.” Nishi cleared his throat again and waited for me to respond, but I was shell-shocked. _ He just admitted he has feelings for me? But why? _

“I haven’t really given my emotions much thought since coming here,” I reluctantly lied, “and I never even considered that someone would want to take me on a date, given the circumstances. This was a really sweet gesture, Nishi. Thank you!” Nishi tilted his head to the side and chuckled. I frowned in confusion and asked what was funny.

“That was the gentlest rejection I’ve ever received,” he smiled, but I could see a sadness in his eyes, and I knew he had been hoping that I would reciprocate his feelings. _ I do feel the same _ , I was screaming on the inside, _ but we can’t be together Nishi. I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t feel that way about someone like me _ . _ This is better for us both, I promise _. I felt awful, and the food I had eaten began to rise uncomfortably in my stomach. My breath grew a bit shorter and I wanted to cry, but then Nishi stood up. He bent down to reach for something beneath the table, which revealed itself as a small stereo.

“What’s that for?” I asked. Nishi didn’t answer right away; he pressed a button on the stereo, and light piano music trinkled from its speakers and echoed softly around the room. In that moment, I remembered Edward when he sat at the piano on the stage a few metres away and performed a similarly melancholy piece. In my heart, I felt a desire to see Edward again. And Uehara, Hatanaka, Sanda, Tokunaga and Ouji. I wanted them to turn the corner on the stage and greet me, to tell me that they weren’t really dead. But I knew that that was impossible, and I felt tears sting my eyes.

“Mimi? What’s wrong?” Nishi asked, noticing my sadness.

“Hearing the piano reminded me of Edward, and remembering that made me think of the others,” I told him solemnly. “I still can’t really believe they’re all gone.”

“Yeah,” was all Nishi could say. I was faintly aware of the music; the gentle high notes felt like they were caressing my ears, while the lower, bass chords buzzed and echoed. It was almost like the two ends of the piano were fighting, much in the same way that we were fighting the bears and the mastermind. After a few more seconds, Nishi walked to my side and held out his hand. A silent request to dance.

“Nishi, you know I won’t touch another person,” I began to say, shaking my head, but he interrupted me.

“Look again, Mimi. Look at my hand,” I glanced down and saw two silk ribbons lying in Nishi’s outstretched palm. I grinned timidly and accepted his offer to dance, as we had during the concert when Morino played his violin. We strode over to a clear space and stood toe-to-toe, our hands gripping the ends of the two ribbons. Nishi moved slightly, and we slowly began to follow the rhythm of the music. Even though Nishi was considerably taller than me, it was I who led the dance, since that was my talent. I had only ever taught Nishi some basic steps, but he had gotten them down, and he was always very careful not to let his hands slip. His grip on the ribbons was like iron, and we soon found ourselves moving around the room at a decent pace. My eyes scarcely left his gaze, and I was almost overwhelmed by the emotion I could see. There was joy, there was sadness and there was fear. I could understand why he was happy, why he was sad, but what was he scared of? _ Is he hiding something from me? _ I could hardly criticise him for that; there was so much I hadn’t said about myself, so many secrets I couldn’t divulge. If Nishi knew, if he _ really _ knew the boy he claimed to have fallen for, he would hate me. He would be disgusted by me, and that repugnance would be justified.

That’s why I had convinced myself to avoid telling Nishi the truth of my feelings. If I gave him the hope that he could be with me, that would be the most dishonest decision I could make. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be with Nishi. _ What would it be like to hug him? To hold his hand? To be able to say things like ‘I love you’ to him? _

“Um, Nishi?” I whispered almost inaudibly, but Nishi heard me.

“Yes, Mimi?”

“When we escape,” I said slowly, “can we do more dates together? I think I would like that.” The huge smile that appeared on Nishi’s face was the only answer I needed, but he replied anyway.

“I think I would like that too, Mimi,” he said, his voice unusually husky. I felt like my heart was in my throat, and the skin beneath my mask started to itch. The ribbons in my hand suddenly felt like they were sending electric currents up my arms and across my whole body, and I couldn’t help but become hypnotised by the expression in Nishi’s eyes as he stared down at me. This was the first time I had felt something like this, and I didn’t know what the sensation was called, but only one word was circling my head, whispering to the farthest reaches of my brain.

_ Love _. I’ve never been so terrified of a word. Then the piano stopped and the room became silent.

But the whispering never ceased.


	41. A Girl in a Forest, A Boy in a Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from Morihei's perspective

Most people are scared of insects - this was something I had been aware of ever since I had developed my interest in coleoptera. I had always found the company of the critters to be more comforting than the company of people who were distressed simply by thinking about being in a room filled with insects. I had become accustomed to solitude, and Seiko Academy was no different. As soon as we had unlocked the insectarium, I had found paradise. I was the only person who saw the room that way. None of the other students visited me, nor the hundreds of beautiful beetles that were there.

And then Morino arrived.

“Good morning,” was all he had said when he announced himself at the insectarium’s entrance, as though it was perfectly ordinary for him to be there.

“What are you doing here?” I cried in surprise.

“Your beetles,” he replied, his dark eyes looking at me emotionlessly. “I want to learn more about them.”

“O-okay,” I agreed nervously. I passed him a pair of gloves to wear to protect him - I explained that human skin is sensitive to insect legs, so putting on gloves would lessen the chance that his body recoils from the sensation. I also asked him to tie up his hair so I could put a hairnet over him. He agreed without hesitation and bunched his hair into a perfect bun at the top of his head. It was the first time I had seen him with a different haircut.  _ If he wasn’t so moody and uncommunicative, he’d actually be reasonably attractive _ , I observed, though I had no intention of pursuing Morino romantically. I was devoted to my talent, and that was all I needed to get by. Once his hairnet was fixed over his head, I led Morino to the first box of bugs.

“These beetles. What are they called?” Morino asked, though his tone suggested it was more of a demand.

“Um, these are Chrysolina Graminis,” I said, indicating him towards a box of tiny, glistening, emerald critters, who were scurrying around a habitat of damp moss, soil and twigs. “Thanks to their green hue, they’re able to blend in with the plants that they eat, such as mint and tansy. In fact, they’re commonly referred to as Tansy beetles because they were observed gorging on that plant.”

“I see,” Morino hummed thoughtfully. “You are very knowledgeable - it’s very impressive.” I looked at him.

“Did you just… compliment me, Morino?” I asked, shocked. He returned my glance with one of equal surprise.

“Ori… has been teaching me to be more empathetic,” he murmured, “so, I have been trying to be kinder. Did I… offend you with my compliment?”

“No!” I cried hurriedly. “I just wasn’t expecting it from you, truthfully. Most people are scared when they learn of my interest in insects. I think you’re one of the first people outside of the National Entomology Association who hasn’t recoiled in disgust.”

“I enjoy learning,” Morino said simply. He pointed to another box. “What are these ones?” With that, I began leading the boy with an unknown talent around the insectarium, introducing him to each species as we came across it. He wanted to know as much as I could tell him about each species, and I soon lost myself in my passion and began throwing fact after fact at him, which he took in with almost no reaction. I couldn’t tell if he was really interested, but I was thoroughly enjoying having someone listen to me lecture about my talent.

“These little guys belong to a genus called Dermestes,” I held out a container filled with a colony of tiny, black, bead-like scritters. “They’re a particular favourite of mine because humans found a way of benefitting from their behaviour.”

“Dermestes,” Morino thought aloud, “I imagine that they have something to do with skin, as their genus has the  _ derm  _ prefix.”

“Very good,” I replied, impressed. “They were once considered a pest of museums, as they would eat taxidermied exhibits and chew through fibres and cloth, but someone had the bright idea of utilizing this in exhibit preservation. Now, it is common practise to use dermestid beetles to clean bones, as they eat away at any leftover, decaying tissue and flesh. Dermestid beetles have even been known to be used in homicide investigations! Oh, I probably sounded a little too excited talking about homicide at a time like this - I’m sorry!” I blushed furiously.  _ How embarrassing! Now you really sound like a freak, Morihei! _ Morino shook his head and smiled.

“No need to apologise,” he told me, “something tells me you don’t socialise with other people much.” _So much for being more empathetic, Morino_, I thought in a huff. “I know the feeling well. Can I ask you something?” I blinked.

“Um, yes?”

“Why coleoptera? How did you become the Ultimate Coleopterist?” I couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely curious or trying to make polite conversation. However, whenever I had been asked this question in the past, it had normally been followed by a comment on how weird or freaky I was for having such an unusual interest, especially for a girl.  _ It can’t hurt to tell him _ , I told myself,  _ since he doesn’t know what his talent is. Perhaps, if I divulge how I earned my title, we can solve the mystery of his talent. _

“Well, it’s quite a boring story,” I began, “I was quite a tomboy when a young girl, and I spent a lot of time outside. Exploring, climbing trees, building dens - I did it all. As I got older, society tried to cram me into this box of femininity that I was not content with, so I retaliated by being more tomboyish. I spent more time in the forests that surrounded my village than at home. My parents didn’t mind; I think they were grateful for the peace and quiet that my absence provided. One night - I’d say I was about nine years old at the time - I had ventured a bit too far into the forest and got lost. The night grew dark and cold, and I remember being very scared. But then, I saw a glowing yellow-green light. It was a firefly, and it seemed to be guiding me. Then, a whole swarm appeared. It was the most breathtaking sight; dozens of tiny yellow specks slowly moving through the depths of the forest. I followed them, and came upon a clearing, and in the distance I could see my house. It sounds crazy, but that night I was convinced that those fireflies were guarding me, keeping me safe in my time of need. Ever since then, I’ve devoted myself to the world of coleoptera. I don’t regret anything; because of my talent, I’ve been to remote parts of the world, meet amazing people, and even discovered my own species of beetle.” I reached for the top of my head on instinct to tap my hairpin, but then I remembered I had left it in my bag which I’d left at the entrance to the insectarium.

“That was a nice story, Morihei. I see now why you’re the Ultimate Coleopterist,” Morino said, and I almost thought I could see a smile on his face. “A very deserved title.”

“You’re getting quite good at these compliments,” I noted with a hint of sarcasm. “But telling my story has me thinking we should try and figure out what your talent is.” Morino scowled very briefly.

“Do you think we can do that?” I shrugged.

“Even if we can’t, we could just  _ give  _ you one,” I realised, “there’s no reason to say you can’t assign yourself a talent. Maybe if you tell me about your past, we can find something you’re especially good at!” I tried to be encouraging, but I knew from Morino’s expression that he was hesitant.

“Fine, but I would appreciate it if you repeated nothing to the others,” he requested fiercely, and I nodded with a gulp.

“Cross my heart.” Satisfied, Morino sat down on the floor, gazing into a box of larger beetles.

“I have not met my father,” he began. “I don’t know his name, nor where he is, why he was never around, what traits I inherited from him. He’s just as much of a mystery as my talent. I barely know my mother; she would visit from time to time, but we had no relationship.”

“Then who did you live with?” I asked “Who raised you?”

“I raised myself,” he said coolly, refusing to look at me. “I don’t really remember what my childhood was like, it was extremely uneventful. I didn’t have a family, friends, colleagues, classmates. I studied by myself in my room; I never went to school, college, or anything like that.”

“Are you saying that you were inside a house on your own? By yourself? A child?” I whispered, horrified at what Morino was implying.

“No, I was not alone. There were others in the building. I think.”

“The building?”

“I did not live in a house. At least, I don’t think I did. In any case, I had a room to myself. It was comfortable, I was fed through a hatch in the wall. And my mother still visited, though her visits became less frequent as I got older…”

“What was she like? Your mother?”

“I… don’t know. I never saw her face. We only ever communicated through a microphone and speaker.”

“Morino,” I interrupted, petrified, “it sounds like you were incarcerated.”

“Me? In a jail?” Morino attempted a laugh, but it was forced. “I’ve never done anything wrong; I stayed in the room, just like my mother asked. In fact, coming to Seiko Academy was my first time outside the room, though I was sad that my mother did not say goodbye. I wonder what she is doing right now.” Morino stopped talking and stared absently at two beetles, which were crawling over one another inside the box.

“But you understand that that is not a normal way for a child to be raised?”

“I’m not the only one. Uehara was completely on her own as a child, and she survived.” I flinched at the use of the word ‘survive,’ but let him continue. “We don’t know how any of the others lived. However, I was aware that most normal families consist of two parents and a child, and I knew that the expectation was for parents to take an active role in rearing that child, and I did ask my mother where her husband was. She never answered, so I stopped asking, and it was something we never discussed. I never even asked her what she looked like, for fear of earning the cold shoulder.”

“That’s so sad,” I said aloud without realising, and I clasped my hands over my mouth and apologised.

“Don’t apologise, Morihei. You pity me, and that’s fine. I must admit, it has been very hard to get accustomed to life at this academy, notwithstanding the two robotic bears forcing us to kill one another.”

“What do you mean?”

“You probably don’t realise, but emotions are something you guys take for granted. Emotions are one thing I’ve never had a need of, but suddenly I’m thrown into something that is very evocative. I’d never communicated with a real person until meeting you all, and you’re all constantly teaching me things. Ori taught me empathy, Yoneda showed me what it’s like to have fun by playing board games with me, Saza was the first person to make me laugh. And now, you’re teaching me to be warmer to people. It’s really difficult, but I’m forever curious about the person that I am becoming because of my time with you all.” I had never expected to hear any of this from Morino, and I was moved by his honesty. It was obvious to me that he was very uncomfortable discussing this, but I was astonished that he was able to do so.  _ Morino Yoshimatsu, just who are you? And what are you? _ Realising that several, long seconds had passed, I quickly brought myself back to my senses and coughed.

“Well? Did your story inspire you to pick a talent for yourself?”

“Not really,” he admitted and his shoulders slumped. “I suppose Ultimate Hermit would be the most appropriate, wouldn’t it?”

“No! You mustn’t think like that!”

“Morihei, that was a joke…”

“Oh. I think you need to work on your delivery, then,” I chuckled.

“Probably,” he agreed, and I definitely saw a smile on his face.

“How about Ultimate Theorist? You’re always really helpful and insightful during the trials, so maybe a talent that references your intellect would be a good starting point!”

“Ultimate Theorist?” Morino repeated. “Morino Yoshimatsu, the Ultimate Theorist. I quite like the sound of that. Thank you, Morihei.” He finally took his eyes away from the beetles and stood up. He held out his hand to help me up, which I took. “Well, I think it is rather late. Iowa is probably going to start preparing our evening meal soon.”

“Evening meal? We’ve not even eaten lunch yet,” I said, bemused. Unexpectedly, my stomach groaned loudly.

“You were busy explaining the species of insects to me,” Morino reminded me, “and that took four hours and twenty-three minutes to do. I think time escaped us.”

“I talked for  _ four  _ hours?” I shrieked. Morino nodded.

“Yes, but I did not mind. Shall we go together?”

“You won’t be bothered if you’re seen with me, the weird insectophile?” I questioned him.

“No, and I don’t think the others see you like that either,” he said confidently, passing my bag to me. I quickly glanced inside to see if my hairpin was fine, and breathed a sigh of relief that it had not been damaged. “In fact, they probably view you the same way I do.”

“The way you do? What does that mean?” I asked the retreating back of Morino, who had begun leaving for the elevator. He looked over his shoulder at me and I could see a faint smile once again.

“As a friend.”


	42. Descent

He was going to find out the identity of the group’s traitor. That’s what Yoneda told himself. He did not know what the time was, nor how many days had passed since the last trial. He had barely slept. How could he sleep when the person who violated Tokunaga’s corpse was still at large? Yoneda had to take down the traitor, and bring justice to that person with full force.

However, finding clues had been fruitless. He had found nothing to even hint towards the traitor’s identity. Furthermore, none of the students had been acting in a way that warranted suspicion, save for Morino. But Morino didn’t seem like the person to lie, and so far the only thing that Yoneda knew about the traitor was that they had lied during Uehara and Edward’s trial. After Tokunaga and Ouji’s trial, Yoneda had combed every inch of the third floor, but still he found nothing. The traitor had been crafty, and not even Yoneda’s intellect could make a sufficiently solid conclusion. So he had turned to the  _ Tetralogy of Despair _ to see if that would contain any clues, as the identity of the traitor was not the only mystery surrounding the killing game of the Seiko Academy.

Morino’s talent. The HOPE organisation, mentioned in the Tetralogy of Despair. The Blades of Despair. The mastermind behind the killing game. The empty files on the fourth floor. The Shadows.

Yoneda knew about what the others had discovered on the fourth floor. He had trailed behind them, lurking in the shadows undetected as they gathered in the classroom. That same night, he had returned to the fourth floor and taken all of the binders out of the office. The bears hadn’t tried to stop Yoneda, so he had assumed he wasn’t breaking any rules. It had taken dozens of trips from the fourth floor to the first, but as soon as they had all been transported to Yoneda’s room, he began looking at them. To his great surprise, they had all been blank, but Yoneda knew better than to trust anything at face value - that’s what his classmates’ betrayal had taught him.

“I’ll never forgive them for what they did to Tokunaga,” he muttered darkly to himself as he was carrying the last batch along the corridor of the first floor. His so-called friends had brushed the circumstance of Tokunaga’s death aside; they were solely focused on who killed Ouji. That’s what Yoneda told himself. Even if it was true that Tokunaga killed Ouji, someone still defiled Tokunaga’s body, and had escaped unscathed from the trial. He knew the others were still wary of the existence of a traitor, but they had decided to inexplicably act as though nothing was wrong. Even the students he considered intelligent had selected to feign ignorance. _Pathetic_, a voice in Yoneda’s head spat, _they’re all pathetic._ _I’ll solve the mysteries of this academy, and I’ll do it alone. The traitor needs to die._

With a heavy sigh, Yoneda stopped reflecting on the actions of his classmates and returned his attention to the open binders lying on his desk in his room. He had been looking at this one binder for at least ten minutes but, like Ori and Miyagawa, he too was coming across nothing but emptiness. He stared at the blank pages again, but this time something caused him to frown. It was very faint, but Yoneda thought that, under the hot bulb of his desk lamp, he could see letters, swimming in and out of existence on the surface on the first page. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and glanced again at the page, but still the letters swam. Yoneda cautiously rubbed his fingertips over the surface of the page,  and he could feel very slight perforations in the paper.

“Scratches? But why?” he whispered in confusion. Yoneda then had an idea.  _ Perhaps the information is written in invisible ink _ . With that thought, Yoneda stood up and rushed over to the library to search for a book that contained information on the properties of invisible ink. It did not take long for him to source the book he wanted and, after scanning a few paragraphs, he ran over to the storeroom to collect some supplies. Yoneda methodically scanned each and every box, his eyes frantically darting in all directions as he absorbed and committed to memory the placement of every object in the room. Within a few minutes, Yoneda had collected the items he wanted: a torch, the source of light that would enable him to view the hidden texts; a sheet of purple film which would act as an ultraviolet colouring for his torch; some adhesive to bind the film of the bulb of the torch. He now had a makeshift ultraviolet light, which was the most basic way of reading text that is not meant to be seen by the naked eye. Yoneda then swiftly returned to his room, sat down in his seat, turned off his desk lamp and switched on the violet hue of his torch. As expected, the letters that had previously been just faint scratches were now fully legible bodies of text, and what they revealed to Yoneda was invaluable, though he did not yet realise how so. His eyes landed on the top of the current binder.

_ Candidate ORAS0100 - Status: Prepared _

_ CANDIDATE LOG 1, Day 0: _

_ Candidate is healthy and alive, showing no obvious signs of abnormalities or biological anomaly. Preparation of the candidate was successful, but adverse effects are visible in “M”. Their Eminence has advised “F” that elimination of adversity in the candidate and “M” will be necessary, which was agreed in the G100 conference. “F” agreed to the proposition and will begin the elimination process immediately. Talent Observation to commence twelve months following preparation of candidate. Observations will be conducted weekly by “F.” _

_ CANDIDATE LOG 2, Day 8: _

_ Candidate is showing very early signs of talent, approximately one week after preparation. Observations have been requested by “F” and approved by Their Eminence. Talent in the candidate is promising but volatile beyond control. “F” suggested elimination of candidate to prevent further damage to resources, as candidate destroyed Observation equipment in what was referred to as “unlucky circumstance.” Their Eminence rejected the suggestion. Early demonstrative talent will be closely monitored by “F.” Liquidation of “M” is progressing smoothly, but the process will be slowed at the request of Their Eminence due to the candidate’s volatility. _

Yoneda could not make sense of what he was looking at, but he knew it was of great significance. He almost found himself sneering at Ori and Miyagawa’s inability to identify the fact that there were clues contained within the binders.  _ They obviously don't really care for escape,  _ Yoneda told himself,  _ otherwise someone with the observational skills of an Ultimate Appraiser would have noticed these details. _ Then again, even someone as oblivious to love as Yoneda could identify the way that those two felt about one another, so he would not be surprised if they were too focused on one another to notice the invisible writing. Forcing himself to forget the unnecessary distraction, Yoneda reread the entries.

“Who is this ‘candidate,’ and what are these observations?” Yoneda hummed aloud and pensively. He scanned for clues. Initially, nothing caught his eye, but then he saw the words  _ unlucky circumstance. _ “Could it be… Ori is the ‘candidate’ that these logs refer to?” Without another moment of hesitation, Yoneda began reading at blistering speed, his highly intellectual mind becoming almost overloaded with the quantity of information contained in the pages. Inside were dozens, maybe even hundreds of similar entries to the two he had already read, and each one detailed identical scenarios of lucky and unlucky occurrences due to the ‘candidate.’ It soon became apparent that this binder contained observations of Ori’s whole life; years and years’ worth of instances where her talent had been observed. Yoneda was flabbergasted at the almost encyclopedic presentation of the entries, as though her whole life was chronicled in one document. But there was no mention of her name, she was only a ‘candidate,’ nor was there any specification of who the letters “F” and “M” referred to, nor was there any indication that might suggest who “Their Eminence” was. Yoneda had heard the latter individual mentioned beforehand, when he had been eavesdropping on the others’ investigation findings. When Yoneda finished the binder, he had more questions than when he started. Evidently, someone was benefitting from knowing everything about the Ultimate Extreme Luck Student, but it was unclear why the knowledge was needed.  _ What is Ori a candidate for? The killing game, perhaps? But why record this information, and why put it in an accessible place for us to find? _

Suddenly, another thought sprung to Yoneda’s mind and he quickly put the first binder back into its original pile and pulled out another one.  _ If there are files on Ori, then will there be files on the other students, including me? I could learn more about Tokunaga. The traitor, too. _ To prove his theory, Yoneda once again shone the purple light against the first page of the second binder.

_ Candidate YONA0100 - Status: Prepared (multiple candidates possible) _

“Y-O… could that be for Yoneda, and N-A for Naosuke?” Yoneda whispered. He continued reading, and was mortified to read information that sickened him.

_ CANDIDATE LOG 1, Day 0: _

_ Candidates are alive, but health is strained due to simultaneous preparation. All seven candidates will be monitored, and have been given similar nominal reference for ease of preparation. Candidate sub-references 002 and 004 in particular are showing signs of ill-health, so extra observational measures have been approved by Their Eminence. “F” and “M” have both been informed that any candidate that does not meet the required standard will be eliminated. “F” and “M” have agreed to the elimination. _

Although the information was mostly alien, the sentence on the second and fourth candidate sounded familiar, as did the notion of seven candidates.  _ I have six brothers, so were we all considered for this killing game.  _ Yoneda also remembered how his parents had recalled his brothers’ birth a nerve-wrecking few days. The second and fourth-oldest, Toneda and Noneda, had been really ill when we were all born. The risks to health increases exponentially to the number of children born in one pregnancy due to the limited space of the mother’s womb - this was the case with Yoneda and his brothers. Toneda and Noneda had suffered the most and, growing up together, those two had more visits to the hospital than the others.  Then there was the talk of elimination should a candidate not meet some sort of ‘standard.’

“Is this why my brothers were murdered? They did not meet the standard once I was invited to Seiko Academy? So, whoever wrote this has been gathering information on all of us… but to what end?” Yoneda asked himself the same question several times over the next few hours as he lost both time and himself to the hundreds of entries that awaited him in each binder. In the lilac hue of the torch that crept up the walls to his room, Yoneda also began to lose his mind.

\---

Yoneda did not know how long he had been awake. How could he sleep, knowing what he knew? He had just finished the last page of the final file. He put down the torch and let it shine its eerie glow. Then, Yoneda began to snigger. Soon, his giggling escalated into a manic cackle that echoed chillingly around his bedroom, and even the light from the torch seemed to shrink away from Yoneda’s hunched figure in the chair. Yoneda wheezed as he laughed, tears forming at the corner of his eyes as he clutched his stomach, doubled over and roared with an empty, maniacal laughter. During his reading, Yoneda had learned so much. He knew everything about the other students, about their pasts, who raised them, how they lived, how their talents were discovered, observed by the author of the binders and how their talents were harvested. However, the information gleaned from one student’s profile had been comparable to nothing, and Yoneda’s eyes glistened with a gleeful loathing as he whispered to himself.

“So  _ they’re  _ the traitor… interesting… I guess I’ll just have to kill them. Are you listening, Tokunaga? I know who defiled you, Tokunaga! I’m going to kill them - yes, yes, kill… then everyone will be sorry they ever forgot you!” Yoneda began mentally formulating a plan for murder, but then he stopped. “No, I need  _ their  _ cooperation first… Monomenon! Come here this instant!” Yoneda shouted the command at the surveillance camera in his room. Truthfully, he did not know whether the bears would hear him, nor whether they had been watching him, but he did not have much time to contemplate the matter before the portly teddy bear appeared in his room.

“You called for me?” Monomenon cheered happily. “Oh, but your room is so dark? Are you trying to seduce me? Sorry, but you’re not really my type, Yoneda - I prefer blonde hair, blue eyes, you know the type. That being said, I’ve never done it with someone with identical siblings, so I’m down for a human-ursine harem with your brothers! Don’t worry if their bodies were mutilated as the motive for the second trial, I’m quite the open-minded-”

“Shut the fuck up and listen to me. I know who the traitor is, and I want you to help me kill them.” Yoneda spat the words, but he knew that he had the bear’s interest.

“So, you figured it out? Very impressive,” Monomenon sounded genuinely astounded by Yoneda’s abilities. “And now you want to plan a murder? Truly, you’re a man after my own heart. But what makes you think I’ll cooperate? After all, it’s against the rules for me to intervene-”

“It’s prohibited for you and Monoworth to interfere with a crime scene  _ after _ a murder has happened - that’s why you were able to execute Tokunaga,” Yoneda reminded him coldly. “But helping a student prepare a crime is perfectly acceptable in my view. That’s why you’re going to assist me kill the traitor.”

“And if I refuse?” Monomenon challenged.

“Then I’ll tell the others what I’ve learned,” Yoneda hissed. “Everything, from their life stories to the identity of the traitor. I know the traitor is currently a thorn in your side, given that they’re acting independently from you. Let me guess - killing the traitor was the next motive?” Monomenon growled, and Yoneda smirked.  _ Bingo _ .

“Do you think the others will give credence to what you say?”

“Undoubtedly,” Yoneda said firmly. “They might not believe that the traitor is who I say it is, but if you were to introduce it as a motive afterwards, then they would at least consider what I told them. You’ve been using the threat of a traitor in the group as leverage against their spirit, but if I break that illusion, you’re at a disadvantage. If I take away their motive to murder one another, your game fails.”

“Hmph.”

“But that’s exactly why I’m offering a compromise. Let  _ me  _ kill the traitor, and you can have your silly little game back.”

“Yoneda,” Monomenon warned, “you understand that if you kill the traitor who, as you know, is another student, there will be another trial. If you’re found out, you will be executed.”

“So?”

“...You do not fear your death?”

“Why should I?” Yoneda chuckled. “You killed my brothers and my best friend. My parents are allegedly the ones who sent me here, so what do I have to live for? The other students? Don’t make me laugh; those bastards don’t care about me. They think I hate them, but I don’t - I  _ loathe  _ them!” Yoneda kept giggling at the idea that Monomenon thought he was friends with the others. Monomenon was stunned into silence - in all the years of the killing games, the bear had very rarely seen a student of this intellect reach such a despairful level of sociopathy.

“Watching you like this is making me horny,” Monomenon told the Ultimate Polyglot, “but I digress. If I were to hypothetically accept your offer, what would the deal be? In exchange for the maintained secrecy of the traitor’s identity, what do you want from me?”

“I have devised a plan,” Yoneda began once he had stopped laughing, “for the next motive. I want you to repeat the format of the first trial, when Hatanaka killed Sanda.”

“You’re referring to the assassination targets - you want me to reuse that?”

“Yes,” Yoneda nodded. “You can flavour it however you wish, but all I ask is one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Make my target the traitor,” Yoneda exclaimed, “I want you to make my target the traitor. I will kill them, and then we play by your rules. I do not care if I get executed, I just want justice for what that bastard did to Tokunaga!”

“You really had a serious man-crush on Fatty Phantom of the Opera,” Monomenon sighed, “it’s almost as gay as Nishi and Mitsumi’s relationship. Oh well, you have yourself a deal.”

“I knew you’d see things my way.”

“Oh, I don’t see things your way at all,” Monomenon cackled mockingly, “but you already gave me permission to ‘flavour it’ as I desire, so I’m going to do exactly that. I won’t make this easy for you, since you’re still a participant in our game.” Yoneda merely shrugged.

“Then remember this - I know more than I’ve told you today. If I think one of your little robot paws has stepped over the line and betrayed our deal, I am going to tell everyone the truths I’ve learned.”

“I would never betray you, Yoneda,” Monomenon squealed, feigning offense, “you’re my favourite of the Naosuke brothers! Well, you  _ are  _ the only one left, but I know not to be picky. Well, if we’re done here, I have to get back to my pedicure! I’ll give you one week before the motive is revealed to your classmates! Ciao!” With a slow whirring sound, a claw descended from the ceiling and scooped up Monomenon, whose red eyes remained fixed on Yoneda as he disappeared.

“It’s over for you, little traitor,” Yoneda sang quietly, a big comical smile on his face. “You’re going to die, you’re going to die, you’re going to die…” The torch flickered a few times, its battery exhausted from hours of being used to unearth the secrets of Seiko Academy’s students. It flashed on and off a few more times before cutting out entirely, and Yoneda’s dormitory was blanketed in total darkness. Yoneda didn’t notice.

He was still laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will return to Ori's perspective in the next chapter.


	43. Are You Scared, Little Traitor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the perspective returns to Ori.

One week had passed since we had searched the fourth floor, and life had begun to quiet down again. At least, that’s what I was trying to convince myself; I knew that life would never be the same. But Seiko Academy had been very quiet, almost too quiet. Nobody had seen the bears since the investigation of the fourth floor, and they never normally waited this long before bringing us another reason to kill each other, so even though things were more peaceful, there was still unrest.

To make matters worse, Yoneda had similarly disappeared from our group. He didn’t show up to meals, and when Iowa left food at his door, she would walk by again to see that it had been untouched. Furthermore, Mina discovered that all the binders on the fourth floor had gone missing - we had spent a day searching for them but ended up concluding that Yoneda must have taken them. We did not know why he had taken them, but his complete disengagement from us was almost more worrying than the bears’.

However, there was a sliver of good fortune. Gawa and I had continued our swimming contests every day since the first one. Annoyingly, he had won every subsequent series of races, and I wanted to smack his face every time I surfaced from the waters and saw him smiling smugly and shouting ‘too slow.’ Then again, the blush on his face when I rewarded him with a kiss was worth the loss - the poor boy could barely string a sentence together whenever I did it. Unfortunately, I had to reward him when we were alone, as Iowa, Mina and Saza asked to join us in the pool one day. Iowa had told us, with smoke coming out of her ears, that she had tried to teach the other two how to bake and it had gone horribly wrong. Miyagawa and I agreed, and I would give him his prize once we were certain nobody could see us. Despite everything that was going on, swimming with Gawa was now the highlight of my days at Seiko Academy.

The morning was progressing like any other morning of the killing game, and we had all gathered in the cafeteria for our breakfast. Iowa had made us all pancakes, but had reluctantly agreed to let Mina help. To my pleasant surprise, Mina’s contribution to the breakfast, a blueberry and banana hotpot, was surprisingly tasty. I wolfed it down, and Mina reacted to my ravenousness with a smile so large I was scared she would break her own jaw. As I was chewing my pancakes, I looked across the table at Gawa. He noticed me looking, and I felt his foot nudge my own under the table. He winked at me, and I blushed, which only caused him to smirk. So I kicked him, by my own admission a little too forcefully, on his shin. The shock and pain prompted Gawa to choke on his mouthful of pancake and he coughed, food spraying out of his mouth as he gasped for oxygen. The food flew in the direction of the person sitting across from him, which happened to be me.

“Gross!” I screamed. “Gawa, don’t spit your food!”

“Don’t kick me under the table then, stupid!” He wheezed his retort as he thumped his chest and coughed loudly. The others just looked at us in confusion.

“Um, are you guys okay?” Saza asked, her eyes rolling as she watched us.

“And who is Gawa?” Mina asked, equally bemused. “Is there a new student? I don’t want any last-minute twists!”

“No, Mina, they are not a new student,” Morino informed her coolly, “it’s just a nickname that Ori uses to refer to Miyagawa.”

“Oh my gosh, she has a  _ nickname  _ for him? You two must be dating by now!” Morihei giggled as Gawa and I spluttered a response.

“No, we-”

“We’re not dating,” I told them all, “we’re just trying to get along better. Besides, Nishi has a nickname for Mitsumi, right?” The two boys looked down at their pancakes simultaneously.

“Don’t bring us into your lovers’ quarrel!” Nishi snapped.

“Then why did you kiss Miyagawa, Ori?” Morino asked me. I blanched.

“What? They’re kissing too?” Mina put her hands to the sides of her head. “That. Is. The. Cutest. Thing. Ever!”

“Morino, how do-”

“I saw you kiss him, that’s all,” Morino announced. “It was during the hours before bedtime, and I noticed them having what seemed a private conversation, so I stayed out of sight. Then, Ori kissed Miyagawa’s cheek and went into her room. Then, Miyagawa turned to face his own room, danced a little - Mina later informed me that he had performed a ‘fist pump,’ an action I did not know existed - and then returned to his own dormitory. That’s all I saw.” We were all speechless, but then Nishi started chuckling.

“It sounds like Morino caught you two red-handed,” he laughed, and soon we all joined in. Even Mitsumi giggled quietly as Gawa and I flushed with embarrassment. But the joyous atmosphere was short lived, as someone spoke with such venom that it silenced us all.

“Oh, I am  _ so  _ pleased to see my friends in such good spirits,” came a harsh commentary from the entrance to the cafeteria. There stood the dishevelled, hunched form of Yoneda Naosuke, the Ultimate Polyglot. I audibly gasped as I took in his appearance, which was now so different to what we had seen before we discovered Ouji and Tokunaga’s bodies. His hair, which had been always neatly combed, was now stuck up messily in every direction possible. His clothes were in a similar state; he had abandoned his beige blazer and his tie, and was now wearing just a shirt that was creased and untucked. The most striking thing about Yoneda’s appearance, though, were his eyes. His blue-green eyes shone with frenzy and suspicion, but there was a frightening alertness to them, as though he was analysing our every movement, whether he needed to or not.

“Yoneda,” Morihei was the first person to verbally acknowledge his arrival, “what happened? Did something happen to you?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been worried about me, Morihei?” Yoneda laughed, his smile turning up into a grin so malicious it made me feel sick. “Why, you’ve never been concerned about my welfare for the past week, so what’s different now?”

“Yoneda, you’re scaring me,” Mina whispered as Yoneda walked towards the table.

“Scaring you? Mina, there’s nothing to be scared of, you poor thing. After all, aren’t we  _ friends? _ I even came to breakfast, just like we always do,” Yoneda spoke to Mina as though he were taunting her, but she only became more confused by his behaviour. Nonplussed, Yoneda sat down beside Morihei and looked at Iowa.

“Yes?” she growled.

“Did you make me breakfast?” Yoneda asked pompously. Iowa hesitated.

“...Yes. But you have not been eating…”

“Wow, I must be as lucky as Ori!” Yoneda suddenly shouted, his laughter echoing horridly around the room. “To think that not one, not two, but three students would show compassion once I arrived here - I’m so emotional I think I might cry!” Even Morino was stunned by Yoneda’s erratic behaviour.

“Why are you here?” Nishi demanded. It was subtle, but I noticed that Nishi’s posture shifted to a defensive stance in front of Mitsumi, who was too terrified to realise.

“I already told you, I’m having breakfast with my favourite group of sixteen students - oh, my mistake, there aren’t sixteen of us anymore.”

“Yoneda!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Nishi, was that a little too cruel? Perhaps you would feel better if I gave a shit about your opinion, but sadly I don’t.”

“What did you say?” Nishi snarled. It was clear that Yoneda was testing Nishi’s temperament, and it was working. Nishi’s fuse was on the verge of being blown.

“What, didn’t you hear me? I guess I did hit you with that lantern pretty hard, it would make sense that your hearing has been affected. Maybe your boyfriend can tell you what I said-” Yoneda was cut off by Nishi, who roared and launched himself at Yoneda, his fist held back to throw a mighty punch. Yoneda did not flinch as Nishi flung his arm forward, but there was a flash of pink and blue before the hit could connect. Morihei had intercepted the punch, grabbed Nishi’s arm, pinned it behind his back and pushed the Ultimate Tattoo Artist’s head and torso on the table, similar to how a policeman positions a criminal before handcuffing them. We all just watched the scene unfurl in amazement.  _ When did Morihei learn to do that? _ Morihei only kept Nishi in that position for a few moments, but it was enough for his temper to mostly subside, and she let him go.

“Enough,” was all she said, but sternly enough that Nishi, defeated, sighed and returned to his seat. I saw Saza mouth her thanks to Morihei, but the Ultimate Coleopterist was already speaking to Yoneda, who was still smiling. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Which was one that…? Oh, what happened to me - well, I figured out who the traitor is.” His words came out so nonchalantly that we at first didn’t register the weight of what he said.

“What?” I heard Gawa whisper.

“You figured out  _ what _ ?” Mina shrieked.

“Will you tell us?” Morino questioned calmly. Yoneda hummed loudly, stroking his chin comically.

“No. I don’t think I will tell you.” We erupted.

“What? Why not?” Saza shouted.

“You can’t tell us that and then hide it,” Mina yelled.

“That’s unfair,” I began to retort, but then Yoneda’s eyes shot at me.

“Unfair!” he bellowed suddenly. “You think I’m unfair? You all sit in this cafeteria, eating your stupid pancakes and your stupid blueberries, pretending that everything is fine! You pretend that six students haven’t died in the last few weeks. You pretend that our families weren’t destroyed, that my brothers weren’t executed. You pretend that you didn’t betray Tokunaga and forgot about him in the trial, and yet you  _ dare _ to accuse  _ me _ of being the unfair one! Ha! Your attitude is exactly why I’ve been hovelled up in my room for the past week! I’ve been researching, investigating, searching for clues because you are all too concerned about self-preservation to give a  _ damn _ about the memories of those we lost. Honestly, any one of you could be the fucking traitor becasue of what you did to Tokunaga!”

“Now wait just a second, Yoneda-” Gawa began, but Yoneda ignored him; his personality seemed to switched from fuming to giddy in a fraction of a second

“Alas! Rejoice, my comrades, for I am going to end this killing game! And in doing so, I am going to murder the traitor!” His eyes darkened, and within them I saw loathing. A hatred so deep and vast that it seemed bottomless, as though I could fall into his eyes and never stop falling.

“You’re going to kill the traitor? But there will be a class trial if you kill them, and you will be found guilty,” Morino reminded him.

“I know. I am already prepared to sacrifice myself to kill the traitor.”

“What?”

“Think about it, Morino - what do I have to live for? Monomenon killed my brothers, and he killed Tokunaga! What do I have to live for?”

“You have us!” Mitsumi cried tearfully.

“No, you mean nothing to me,” Yoneda said firmly. Mitsumi hid his eyes behind his hands and began shaking. Nishi put his arm on the table in front of the other boy as a silent symbol of protection. “Oh, and a warning to the traitor: if you kill me before I kill you, then the secrets of Seiko Academy die with me.”

“The secrets of Seiko Academy? What are you talking about?” Nishi demanded.

“Could it be,” Gawa thought aloud, “that Yoneda learned something from those binders on the fourth floor?”

“They were blank,” I countered.

“No, they weren’t blank,” Yoneda corrected me. “And they revealed so much! Honestly, I am surprised you didn’t notice anything, Miyagawa, since you’re the Ultimate Appraiser. Perhaps you were looking at something, or  _ someone _ , a little more attentively than you were at the binders?”

“Shut up.”

“I digress,” Yoneda cheered. “I should also mention that I did have some help.”

“Help? You mean, one of us helped you?” Mina asked in fright.

“No, you dipshit, he meant us,” a voice sounded around the room, followed by a sequence of mechanical sounds. Soon after, Monomenon and Monoworth dropped into the room.

“You can’t be serious - you got help from the  _ bears _ !” Saza shouted.

“Please calm down, Miss Yasu, I will explain,” Monoworth reassured us. “Master Naosuke requested an audience with Monomenon not long after the trial. He informed my assistant that he had solved the mysterious identity of the traitor, and that he wanted to kill them. Master Naosuke then requested that we facilitate his murder plan, and blackmailed us into doing so.”

“Blackmailed? He knew something that crucial?” Morino challenged sceptically.

“It wasn’t what he knew that was the issue. Master Naosuke knowing who the traitor doesn’t affect the game directly as the traitor is working independently from us. However, Master Naosuke, armed with that knowledge, realised that we would use the traitor as the next motive, so he threatened to ruin our plan by telling you all who your traitor is.”

“If he did that,” Monomenon continued, “then all my beautiful dreams would be crushed like an astronaut in a hydraulic press - what were talking about?”

“Master Naosuke negotiated a deal - he concocted a new plan for the next motive, which we agreed to. In exchange, we would make it easier for him to target and murder the traitor within your group. It benefits both the student and headmaster to be rid of the traitor, since they’re acting against us both.”

“And you also benefit from the fact that your game will continue once Yoneda murders the traitor and we vote to execute him in the trial,” Morihei added.

“That is purely a bonus, I assure you,” Monoworth replied. “Although I admit that I will enjoy the game more once things are operating as I desire.”

“You mentioned that Yoneda planned the next motive,” Gawa said, “is that why you both, as well as Yoneda, are here now?”

“That’s exactly, right, Miyagawa! Or should I start calling you Gawa too, since I also kiss you? Though, you’re never awake when I do it!” Monomenon cackled.

“Just tell us what it is and begone,” Saza barked.

“Yeesh, it’s a rough crowd today,” Monomenon muttered, “but no matter! Your fourth Motive Day is indeed today, and if you look at your Seiko-pads, you will see a new Motive button has been added!” Without a second of hesitation, I fished my device from my pocket and switched it on to find a new button appearing on my screen. When I pressed it, nothing happened.  _ Something like this has happened before _ .

“My button isn’t working,” Mina said, relieved, “that means I don’t have motive to murder anyone!”

“Good grief, did you inherit all of Uehara’s stupidity when she died or something?” Yoneda groaned. “The reason the button isn’t working is because it isn’t activated yet. The motive won’t come into effect until tonight.”  _ This is sounding a lot like- _

“The first motive,” Mitsumi whispered, “this is just like the first motive, with the assassination targets.”

“Wow, you figured it out already? The crybaby is right! We’re bringing back a motive from a previous case, but there’s a twist!” My stomach tightened at the revelation of an additional detail to the motive.

“A twist? Explain yourself!” Nishi ordered.

“Well, handsome, the motive works the same as the first time,” Monomenon explained. “We will each give you another student as a target at random - except for Yoneda - and you will have seventy-two hours to murder that student. If you successfully kill your target, you will be allowed to leave the academy with no repercussions, while your peers will remain living in Seiko Academy.”

“So you’re effectively giving Yoneda the right to leave the academy if he kills the traitor? Isn’t that unfair?” Saza argued.

“I don’t really care what happens to him, honestly,” Monomenon said, “because he technically played by the rules. Besides, since he’s blackmailing me, I can’t do anything that might trigger him to reveal the identity of the traitor.”

“Out of curiosity, what happens if Yoneda fails? What if he kills someone who isn’t the traitor?” I asked.

“Well, this applies to anyone who doesn’t kill their target, not just Yoneda. This is where that twist I mentioned comes into play. If a student murders someone who is not their target, then a class trial will take place. If the culprit is correctly identified, then they will be executed - however, they will be forced to choose someone to be executed with them. Likewise, if the culprit is not identified correctly, then all the innocent students will be executed, but we will give the culprit the option to save someone from execution.”

“Hold on,” Yoneda interrupted, “that twist wasn’t part of the deal-”

“Too bad, four-eyes! You thought you could outsmart the bears, but you forgot that we make the rules of this game, and you will have to follow them.”

“But-”

“You said it yourself that night, four-eyes. You said I could flavour the motive however I wanted, and that’s exactly what I’ve done!” Monomenon squealed with joy as he looked at the horror that had etched onto not only Yoneda’s face, but everyone else’s.

“So, this motive could be the harbinger of the deaths of three students?” Morino summarised. “But Yoneda alone can use this to kill the traitor and escape the academy.”

“You got it! But anyone could commit murder, so I suggest you all think about it! Now if you’ll excuse us, my new butt plug arrived today and I need Monoworth to test it out on me. Toodles!” Silently, we watched as the two bears were hoisted away from our sight. When this motive had first been shown to us and the bears had left, we were all too shocked to speak. But, weirdly, we had climatised to the change and instead of panicking, we all reconvened to the central table and began our plan of action. Everyone except  _ him _ .

“Aren’t you guys happy?” Yoneda giggled. “This is such a nice motive, and it doesn’t affect you at all!”

“It doesn't affect us? What are you talking about?” I pressed.

“I’m going to kill the traitor,” Yoneda affirmed, “which means you don’t have to think about murder. Plus, once the traitor is dead and I am gone, you can all live in the academy together in your wonderful world of ignorance.”

“Can you do it?” Nishi asked darkly.

“What?”

“Can you kill someone, Yoneda? Can you really do it?”

“I… yes, of course I can! I have every detail planned, so there’s no cause for concern.”

“Hatanaka killed to stop us from committing mass suicide. Edward killed to save his country, and Tokunaga killed to save us. Tell me Yoneda, what are you killing for? Revenge? Against the traitor for doing what they did to Tokunaga? Or is it revenge against us?” Morino asked the questions calmly, but there was an almost undetectable level of cold emotion. Morino almost looked annoyed by Yoneda’s behaviour.

“I do not have to stand here and be interrogated by some talentless prick,” Yoneda snarled defensively. “All that matters is that the traitor is going to die. I do not care what becomes of the rest of you.” With that, Yoneda turned on his heel and marched out of the door.

“I just can’t believe that he’s become like this in one week…” I muttered.

“Did Tokunaga’s death really affect him that badly?” Nishi pondered.

“I think it was a combination of that and the massacre of his brothers,” Saza said, “after all, identical siblings are said to be more connected than blood-relatives.” Nishi nodded in agreement.

“But still, are we really sure he is going to follow through with his plan?” Morihei asked. “Even in his crazy state, I’m not convinced Yoneda could become a murderer at the drop of a hat.”

“The others weren’t murderers before they came to this academy, though,” I pointed out.

“I don’t think we should argue Yoneda’s case for him,” Mitsumi interrupted. “I have a question for everyone - do we want Yoneda to kill the traitor?” We all looked at him.

“What? Why are you asking that?” said a bemused Gawa.

“Ever since Yoneda revealed that he knew who the traitor was, and that he was going to kill them, I noticed something. Nobody had tried to stop Yoneda from committing his murder.” Nobody had a reply to that. “I don’t think that anyone here wants to stop him, do they?”

“Do you, Mitsumi?” I countered.

“Yes, I want him to stop. I don’t want him to become a murderer.”

“Even if his target is the traitor?”

“We’ve been betrayed before and found forgiveness,” Mitsumi pointed out. “When we found out that Edward had killed Uehara to save Leonis from war, we thought we had made a mistake by sacrificing him. What if the traitor has done what they’ve done for a good reason rather than a selfish one?”

“You think there could be a good reason for chopping off Tokunaga’s arms and legs and hiding them?” Iowa replied, stupefied. “Do you even hear yourself? If Yoneda wants to take out someone who would do that, then I say let him.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Iowa on this one,” Saza said. “I don’t like the new Yoneda at all, but if he kills the traitor, then we don’t have to worry about betrayal again, right?”

“So, you want to be complacent in the murder of someone in this room?” Nishi asked. “That doesn’t sound like the normal Sazzy.”

“These aren’t normal circumstances, big bro,” she retorted. “But if I had to choose between someone who cuts up cadavers for sport and someone who murders people who cuts up cadavers, I’d choose the latter.” The group grew divided on the matter as our discussion went on. There were those that supported Yoneda’s plan: Iowa, Saza, Gawa, Mina, Morino and Morihei, and those that didn’t want any more killing: Mitsumi, Nishi and myself.

We decided to continue with our normal day, so Gawa, Mina, Iowa, Saza and I headed to the swimming pool. Gawa promised that he would let me win this time, but I told him that beating him fairly was the only way I’d let him reward me. Laughing that I would never beat him, we soon forgot about the motive in our Seiko-pads.

However, one more twist was awaiting us the following morning.

\---

_ In his room, Yoneda Naosuke was looking at his Seiko-pad and grinning nefariously. He was looking at the portrait of the student who had been assigned as his assassination target. As expected, it was the very student that Yoneda had identified as the traitor. _

_ “Are you watching, Tokunaga? This is the person that did that awful thing,” he whispered to himself. “Are you scared, little traitor? Are you scared that your life is coming to an end?” Yoneda started giggling as he stroked the portrait. _

_ Soon. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for your continued support on Blades of Despair once again! Every day I am humbled by the wonderful comments and messages I get about this project, and it has even inspired others to work on their own fangans, which makes me so proud!
> 
> That aside, I have a quick life update for you: there won't be any new chapters for a little while as I moving to my new apartment. As such, I need time to settle down, move all my furniture and set up my new office space. I apologise if you're waiting a while again, but I figured this was a good point to put the story on a little delay. After this chapter, things are kicking up a storm so I want to make sure that I am in the best frame of mind when I write the remaining story.
> 
> If you're wondering how far into the story we are, I'd say we're perhaps a little over 50% of the way there, so there's a lot of content to look forward to.
> 
> Finally, just another selfish plug, but we now have sprites for Monoworth and Monomenon which have put on my Twitter account @DanganHyper, so feel free to check them out and show some love the wonderful artist who has done all the amazing sprite work! Take care all!
> 
> -HyperDangan


	44. Countdown to the End

I woke up the next morning with an unsettling feeling in my stomach – today was the first day of the countdown. Within the next three days, Yoneda would kill the traitor and leave the academy, ignorant to the continuous suffering that his former friends would endure. But I wasn’t scared of Yoneda, I was scared of what he knew.  _ Or what he thinks he knows _ , I thought.  _ What if he’s wrong? What if he doesn’t know who the traitor is? But why would the bears agree to help him? Are they bluffing and know that Yoneda is wrong? What if Yoneda targets me, or Gawa, by mistake?  _ I didn’t want things to go this way; I didn’t want any more murders or trials or executions. I just wanted to escape with my friends, but Yoneda had made the decision for us. That’s why I had chosen to keep my Seiko-pad hidden from view; I didn’t want to be tempted to look at who my target is. I went to breakfast with the determination to change everyone’s mind; everyone except Nishi and Mitsumi, who I already knew felt the same way as I did.

With my newfound steel resolve, I went to the cafeteria, a little later than I had intended. As I was walking down the corridor, I could hear raised voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.  _ That sounds like Nishi, but what’s going on?  _ I quickened my pace and within a few seconds I was at the entrance to the cafeteria, where a heated argument was taking place between Nishi and Yoneda. They were practically nose to nose, screaming at one another. Everyone else was just watching with a mixture of fear, confusion and worry on their faces.

“I refuse to listen to you and your stupid plan,” Nishi was shouting, enraged. “You’re putting everyone at risk for your own selfish gain – has this killing game taught you nothing!”

“You’re the one who is uneducated,” Yoneda spat in reply, “how can you not understand that this plan is designed to protect everyone besides the traitor. Are you saying you don’t want the traitor dead, even after everything they’ve done to us?”

“Are you seriously questioning why I’m against another murder? Do you even hear yourself? And that goes for everyone who wants Yoneda to kill the traitor!”

“We don’t want Yoneda to kill anyone,” Saza interrupted haughtily, “but we’re tired, big bro. Tired of all this.”

“And you’re saying that another murder is the best way to fix the problem? We wouldn’t even be in this situation if Yoneda would just tell us who the traitor is.”

“No!” Yoneda screamed, silencing Nishi in an instant. “It is my, and only my responsibility to eliminate the threat. It’s my revenge to be had, and I won’t let anyone take this from me! Not after what you all did…”

“We didn’t do anything! How many times do we have to tell you?” Nishi screamed. “The trial was for Ouji’s killer, and Tokunaga killed Ouji. That’s all that we had to figure out, and even then we took the time to talk about Tokunaga’s murder – so what the fuck do you mean when you say that you can’t forgive us for what we did? Huh? Fucking tell me, Yoneda!” Nishi grabbed Yoneda’s shirt and hoisted him so that their eyes were level. Yoneda’s legs began to squirm a little as he was lifted.

“Nishi! Put him down!” Mitsumi ordered immediately, but Nishi shook his head. His eyes were shining with a rage so ardent I was fearful they might catch fire.

“Not until this little shit explains himself,” Nishi growled, “why can’t you forgive us? What’s stopping you? What’s really going on, Yoneda?”

“You think I care for your understanding,” Yoneda struggled to say in ragged breaths. Nishi’s hold was obviously affecting Yoneda’s circulation, but Nishi showed no signs of relenting. “You couldn’t be more sorely mistaken.”

“Nishi,” Mitsumi warned, “put him down. Now.” Nishi was silent, but he was visibly shaking. With a defeated shout, Nishi threw Yoneda onto the table. The Ultimate Polyglot landed loudly and rolled a couple of times before coming to a halt, knocking trays of breakfast off the table with a raucous clatter. Yoneda didn’t move for a few seconds, but when he looked up at the others he was smirking, and he began to laugh. It was then that he noticed my arrival.

“Oh, you’re finally here,” was all he said, but there was such malice in his voice and a fury in his expression that those four words seemed like a thousand. I was frozen in place, unable to think of a reply.

“Ori!” Nishi exclaimed. “You’ve consistently been the most rational of our group – what say you?” He must have realised that the perplexed look on my face wasn’t just in response to the feud between him and Yoneda. “Ah, you weren’t here when Yoneda began trying to force us to follow along with his ridiculous idea.”

“Why do you get to decide what’s ridiculous? At least I’m attempting to get rid of your problems. You’re too busy giving Mitsumi puppy-eyes to care about-”

“Don’t you dare bring him into this!”

“Stop fighting this instant!” I bellowed. The room instantly became stifled, and both Yoneda and Nishi looked away from me. “Just what is going on here?”

“Yoneda wants us to stay out of his way whilst he kills the traitor,” Morino began to explain, “but to do that, he is demanding we each stay in our rooms until he’s carried out his plan.”

“It’s not a terrible idea,” Mina admitted, “I’d rather not get in the way of a killer. But I wouldn’t be able to swim with the others for three days, and that makes me sad.”

“It also means that the traitor would be isolated, which makes it easier for me to target them,” Yoneda added cheerfully, “and it’s not like you can’t communicate with each other. You can use the chat function on your Seiko-pads to talk to one another while you wait, and I can even let you know once I’ve done the deed before I leave the academy.”

“But the same applies to anyone,” Nishi argued. “If we isolate ourselves, we all become easy targets for whoever our designated assassin is. Besides, I’m still not convinced that Yoneda could murder someone.”

“Do not underestimate Yoneda, Nishi,” Morino warned, “he has proved himself to be an asset in class trials already.”

“Aww, Morino, you’re going to make me blush,” Yoneda giggled, covering his cheeks with hands in mock embarrassment.

“He’s also quite meek,” Morino finished his sentence, and Yoneda stopped laughing. “I do not know what to make of his plan. Personally, I have no issue with waiting out the timer.” A few of the others murmured in agreement, which only made Nishi more frantic.

“What? You guys can’t be serious! You’re going to do what this psycho says? After what he’s said and done?”

“Nishi,” Mitsumi said quietly.

“Ori, tell me what you think,” Nishi commanded, “do you think we should do as Yoneda says?” Everyone was looking at me with expectant eyes, and I felt greatly uncomfortable.

“Hold on, why does Ori have to choose?” Gawa remarked suddenly.

“I agree, that’s too much pressure for one person,” Morihei added firmly.

“She’s the only one who wasn’t here for the full argument, so she has the least bias,” Nishi said, “so she’s deciding.” I felt my knees grow weaker and a few beads of sweat formed at my forehead.  _ Why? Why do I always have to make the hard decisions? I just want to disappear. _

“Ori,” Saza said pleadingly. “Tell us what you think?”

“Yes, Ori,” Yoneda repeated chillingly, “tell us.”

“I don’t know,” was all I could muster. “I don’t know.”

“You… don’t know?” Yoneda asked, tilting his head to one side, then to the other. “How disappointing.”

“Don’t call her that!” Gawa barked. “You both put her under unnecessary pressure, it’s natural that she’s not-”

“Let’s do it. Let’s do Yoneda’s plan.” Everyone, including Yoneda, looked at me with a shocked expression.

“What?” Nishi whispered, enraged. “How dare you-”

“But it needs changing,” I added hurriedly.

“Changing? In what way?” Yoneda questioned me curiously.

“Even if we lock ourselves in our rooms for three days, we still need food and water. I think you should allow Iowa to leave her room to prepare meals for everyone, and that should be the only exception.” Iowa raised her eyebrow.

“You want me to be the only student, other than a murder-bound… whatever Yoneda is, to be able to leave their rooms?”

“I know it’s dangerous, but…”

“I’m not scared of Yoneda,” Iowa interjected. “He should know better than to try and confront me in the kitchen.” Yoneda glared at her but didn’t reply. “But everyone would have to agree to the plan.”

“I’m sorry,” Saza said, shaking her head, “but I don’t like the idea of Iowa being on her own, even if she’s in the kitchen. What if she’s ambushed in the corridor?”

“That would mean that I’m the traitor that Yoneda’s targeting,” Iowa said coldly, “but I am not the traitor, so I shall repeat myself: I am not scared of Yoneda.”

“But-”

“Saza, I appreciate your concern,” Iowa turned to her friend with a warm smile, “but if you’re all safe inside your rooms while we wait for Yoneda to leave, then that’s good enough for me. It’s only three days, and then we’ll see each other again. And when we do, I promise I’ll bake you the best cheesecake you’ve ever tasted.”

“Deal,” Saza said immediately, her mouth already wet with drool.

“Not all of us are so easily swayed, Iowa,” Morino reminded her. “If I recall, Nishi, Mitsumi and Ori were the students who opposed Yoneda’s intent to murder the traitor. Ori has reluctantly agreed to the plan, but we still have Nishi and Mitsumi to convince. If they don’t agree, we cannot go through with this, because doubt and suspicion will be weighing on all our minds.”

“That speech was so cool,” Yoneda commented in admiration before bursting into hysterical laughter.

“Well, you two,” Gawa addressed the boys, “it’s decision time.” Mitsumi walked to Nishi’s side and looked up at him inquisitively, but the taller boy would not look at him. He just stood there, his eyes snapped shut and his face was twisted in contorted rage. I then noticed Mitsumi wrap something around Nishi’s right wrist, which seemed to wake him. Nishi held his wrist to his face – Mitsumi had placed a black ribbon around his arm, and I recognised it as one of the ribbons the two had used to dance at the concert. I didn’t understand what the action meant, but it was perfectly clear to Nishi because he said in a sad murmur:

“Mitsumi, you too?”

“I want you to be safe, Nishi,” Mitsumi told him urgently, “but I cannot guarantee that while we have a traitor in our group. And you can’t guarantee mine.”

“Yes, I can,” Nishi retorted defiantly. “I promised you…”

“It’s only a few days, Nishi,” Mitsumi said, “I admit, I still don’t want Yoneda to murder anyone, even if that person betrayed us. But I’m too weak to stop him, or anyone else for that matter. So, please can you do this, just for me?” Mitsumi’s eyes were already welling with tears, and I knew that this was really hard for them both. They had spent every waking moment together since we arrived; having to spend whole days apart would be hard for them. Nishi didn’t say a word for an uncomfortably long time, but after a while he nodded. He turned to Yoneda.

“The second that countdown ends,” he warned, “I am going to rescue Mitsumi. If you are still in the academy when that happens, I’m going to beat the shit out of you.” I was expecting a snarky comment from Yoneda, but the bespectacled boy just nodded.

“I will be committing the murder tomorrow,” Yoneda addressed the comment to us all. The casual way he said it sent painful tingles down my spine, and my appetite was gone. “You will not have to wait long, I promise. I will leave so you can say your goodbyes.” Without another word, Yoneda walked out of the cafeteria. As he passed at the entrance, his eyes briefly met mine and, underneath their deep hatred I saw a scared boy. But that boy disappeared as soon as eye contact was terminated, and I could hear faint hiccups of mirth behind me as he walked away. Once I was certain he was out of earshot, I exhaled deeply and used the doorframe as support.

“Ori!” Gawa rushed over to me and held me in a tight embrace. I buried my face in his blazer and began to cry. It was a quiet sob, and the only way you would have even known that I had cried were the faint tear stains that were left behind.

“I guess,” I muttered, “we should say our goodbyes to everyone. Even if it’s for one day, or three days.”

“It’s not really goodbye,” Gawa reminded me. “We have our Seiko-pads, and it’s not a long time at all.” So, Gawa and I went around the group and said our temporary farewells to the others. As expected, Morino wasn’t particularly sentimental, but Morihei gave me a crushing hug and told me that she would love to join our swimming contests, to which Gawa and I happily agreed. Morino declined joining when we offered.

Saza and Mina were both on the brink of tears because they were worried about Iowa cooking for all the students. When Iowa reminded them that she was cooked for the full class of sixteen at the beginning of the semester without any assistance, they looked at her dumbfounded. Then they started sobbing because they were going to miss Iowa. The Ultimate Chocolatier feigned annoyance at their behaviour, but she was smiling. She told them that she was going to miss them too, but since it was only a short while, they could spend more time cooking together. Gawa and I, sensing that it would take some time for Iowa to console Saza and Mina completely, left them alone to speak to Nishi and Mitsumi.

Unsurprisingly, the two were very upset by the idea of being separated. The change was affecting Nishi the most, as he was tightly clutching the ribbon on his wrist that Mitsumi had given him. Since he wasn’t allowed to touch Mitsumi, they just settled for staring at each other sadly.

“I don’t want to do this, Mimi,” I heard Nishi whisper, but Mitsumi didn’t respond.

“Ori, I think we should leave them alone,” Gawa said to me quietly, and I nodded. With one last look at the two boys, Gawa and I left the cafeteria and walked in silence towards our neighbouring dormitories. We stopped outside the doors and faced one another.

“Well, this is it,” I said. “Someone’s going to die tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Gawa admitted grimly, “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about who the traitor could be, but for Yoneda to actually figure it out… he’s quite terrifying.” Yoneda Naosuke, the Ultimate Polyglot. He had been so sweet, kind and gentle when we had all met for the first time. Now, he hated all of us, and was prepared to murder one of us just so he could escape, and we were letting him.  _ Are we any better than Yoneda for letting him commit murder? What if there is no traitor, and Yoneda has simply led us astray? _

“I don’t want anyone to be the traitor,” I wailed suddenly. “I don’t want any more deaths, I don’t want to lose another friend!”

“Ori! Hey, it’s okay,” Gawa cried in surprise and automatically wrapped his arms around me, and I clung onto him.

“I don’t want this. I don’t want to lose you, Gawa!”

“I’m not the traitor, Ori.”

“I know, but what if Yoneda…”

“He won’t. Morino said it, remember? Yoneda’s not to be underestimated, certainly, but he’s no Hatanaka. I doubt Yoneda would be able to overpower me. I’ve won too many swimming races to lose to someone like him.” I smiled, despite the tears cascading down my cheeks. I felt Gawa press his lips to the top of my head. “And I would never let him hurt you either, Ori. So, don’t cry. We’re going to get through this.” We stood there for a while, the sound of my crying the only echo in the corridor, and the only movement was Gawa’s palms gently stroking my back and the back of my head comfortingly. I don’t know how long we were like that, but eventually it was time to let go. I looked up at him with sore eyes.

“I guess…” I did not finish my sentence, but Gawa knew what I was going to say.

“I’ll see you soon, Ori,” he said, his voice lowered. He smiled genuinely at me, but I could tell he was scared, and that he wasn’t fully convinced of his words. It was hard, but I turned the handle on my door and went inside. Without Gawa’s arms, my room felt ice-cold.

\---

It was evening, and I was lying on my bed. I had been talking with others most of the afternoon, and it had been fun to chat with them. We had all deliberately avoided the conversation surrounding Yoneda’s actions tonight; we all knew that someone in the group was the traitor, however pretending that they didn’t exist was easier than waiting for Yoneda to kill them.

Eventually, I bid goodnight to them. I wanted some time alone with my thoughts, and my head was filled with troubling thoughts. The first thing that came to mind was Sanda Heikichi, the Ultimate Vlogger.  _ How long has it been since she died? She’s almost a distant memory now, and we still never learned what she was really like. _ Sanda had been a difficult person to get along with, but when I had found her body, I had been distraught. I was regretful that I didn’t spend more time with her, that I didn’t make more of an effort to be her friend before Hatanaka murdered her.  _ Hatanaka, were you really trying to save us from mass execution? Or were you trying to save yourself? _ Even though Gawa had accused Hatanaka of lying about wanting to save us, I wasn’t so sure. I was more angered by what he did to Ouji, but when all was said and done, Hatanaka had bought us more time, and there was a part of me that was grateful to him for that.

Then there had been Uehara’s death, which for me had been the hardest to accept. She had been a bright, happy spirit. Her actions and behaviour were a little unorthodox, but she was never a burden – I enjoyed spending time in the games room with her and Mina. But then the games rooms became her grave, and her death had been so gruesome, and the lifeless, bloodied expression on her face still haunted my dreams. Mina’s reaction to Uehara’s death was the hardest thing to stomach, and I admired how strong Mina was able to be. Instead of falling to despair, she had taken Uehara’s attitude and applied it to her daily life at the academy. I remember thinking Uehara’s death was unfair, but when Edward revealed why he had done what he had done, I realised that there are problems in the world bigger than my own. That someone was suffering more than I. In this context, the ‘someone’ was the entire nation of Leonis, which had descended into civil war in Edward’s absence. He had killed to escape and save his nation, and his beloved Penelope, but he had failed. Selfishly wanting to live, we had him executed.  _ In that moment, did we decide the fate of not only Edward, but also of his nation? _ The guilt I felt still hung heavy around my neck.

My mind then wandered to the most recent victims of the killing game, Ouji and Tokunaga. That trial still felt incomplete because we still hadn’t solved the mystery of Tokunaga’s corpse. I couldn’t fathom why Ouji would think to sacrifice herself.  _ Why, Ouji? We needed you; you’d always been so strong, so why did it have to come to murder? _ I was angry. Moreover, I was angry with Tokunaga for agreeing to the plan. I know the two of them meant well, and that they believed their plan would work, but now they were both gone. Their plan failed. I know that it failed through no fault of their own, but it was still almost impossible to accept that we had lost two lives so unfairly. The consequences of their trial were the most severe. Yoneda, having lost his family and his best friend, had now also lost his mind and detested us for what he believed was negligence of a friend for the benefit of saving ourselves. I almost empathised with his belief, but it was difficult to watch his rapid descent into madness, and the way he now treated our group had turned us against him. He even attacked and injured Nishi, insulted Mitsumi, the late Uehara, most of the group in fact.  _ Can I forgive someone like that, even if they intend to eliminate a threat to us? Would Yoneda accept that we should forgive him, and not the other way around? _

Tomorrow, Yoneda would murder the traitor, but I still did not know who that could be. I had several theories, but nothing concrete. My first thought had been Morino, since his talent was still unknown to us – I had considered the possibility that his talent could even be the Ultimate Traitor, but I discarded the theory once the bears revealed that the traitor was acting independently. I had even contemplated whether Yoneda was the traitor, and that he would commit suicide. He had said that he had no reason to live after Tokunaga’s death, but that would mean that Tokunaga’s limbs were removed by Yoneda. If Yoneda was so distraught by Tokunaga’s death, it would make no sense for him to be the traitor. Finally, the person I was concerned about the most, was Gawa. After Edward and Uehara’s trial, Monoworth and Monomenon had revealed that the traitor had lied during the trial. To my knowledge, the only students that had done that were Edward, the culprit, Gawa and myself. I had only lied because Gawa had been trying to save me, but he therefore fit the criteria of the traitor. I was terrified that my reasoning was correct, and there was a part of me that was disgusted that I had begun to fall for our potential traitor.  _ No, you have no proof that any of them are the traitor! They’re your friends, Ori! _

My thoughts kept me awake for most of the night, and when sleep eventually found me, it brought with it a perplexing nightmare.

\---

_ I was floating in a violet, celestial haze. Dots of light that looked like stars bounced lightly in the sky, though I wasn’t sure that I was even looking at the sky. The purple hazes seemed to stretch out in every possible direction, but connected and dispersed at every point and at no point. _

_ “Where am I?” I asked, but my voice wasn’t my own. It was undoubtedly the voice of a woman, but I didn’t recognise her.  _ What’s going on? Whose voice is this? Who am I?

_ “We were not expecting you this early,” came a jeering voice. I looked around, but there was nobody near me, below or above. _

_ “Who’s there?” I called out. _

_ “You don’t need to know who we are,” the voice chuckled darkly. Suddenly, the purple darkened as five, colossal shadows lurched into existence and loomed over me. Terrified, I screamed with the woman’s voice. The shadows had no bodies, no features, no limbs, they just  _ existed _ . I knew their existence was impossible, so why was I so terrified? _

_ “Who are you?” I screamed, panicked. The five shadows made a sickening sound, and I realised that they were laughing. _

_ “How does it feel to know that you’re losing?” They sneered, ignoring my question. _

_ “Losing? What are you talking about?” _

_ “The game,” they cackled. “So many sacrifices, so many deaths of innocent people that you weren’t able to stop. You’re just going to keep on losing our little game, girl.” I didn’t understand what the shadows were talking about…  _ Wait,  _ I thought _ , are these the Shadows that we learned about in the investigation of the fourth floor? Then, who’s body am I in?  _ I tried to get her to look down so that I could see more of her, but her gaze was fixated on the swirling mass of the penumbra. _

_ “You… no, I won’t let you win,” she and I screamed. “As long as I fight, there’s hope!” _

_ “What? Hope?” The shadow at the centre grew larger and appeared to leer at her. “You think a feeble thing like hope can defeat us? You are a fool, a pathetic cretin. We should have exterminated you when we had the chance - it was a mistake to let you live. Your acts of defiance, while laughable, are an annoyance. But your time is running out, girl.” _

_ “No! You don’t mean…” _

_ “Yes, it’s going to happen, whether you can stop it or not.” _

_ “No!” _

_ “What?” _

_ “No! I won’t let you win!” my voice roared hoarsely in unison with hers. As we did, a single beam of golden light shot upwards from within the purple cloud, and the shadows recoiled. The beam expanded and collected into a shape-shifting orb, as if it was trying to collect itself. Soon, the golden object grew four powerful legs, whose feet were adorned with razor-sharp claws. Next, a tail formed, and then its head appeared. When its transformation was complete, the golden form shone brilliantly and let out a magnificent, bone-rattling roar. The girl shielded her eyes and mine from the light, and once it had dimmed we stared at it. Before us was a large, golden cat. A lion. _

_ “What? What’s going on?” The shadows screeched, continuously shifting and shaping away from the newfound source of light. _

_“E-Edward?” the girl whispered in awe. _Edward? Why am I thinking about him? He’s gone._ “It can’t be. You’re not here anymore. So, why are you...?”_ _The lion only observed us through piercing, brilliant eyes_. Does it know that there are two people in this woman’s head, even though she does not? _The lion walked back and forth a few feet, scanning us. Seemingly satisfied, the lion growled and turned to the shadows._

_ “No, this wasn’t supposed to… How are you…?” Before the shadows could comprehend the lion’s appearance, it roared again. Inexplicably, it began to grow and the light it radiated grew brighter and brighter. The woman shielded her eyes again, and the shadows began to scream as the light consumed them. The screaming grew louder and louder and- _

\---

I jolted upright in my bed, my body covered in sweat.

“What was that?” As my consciousness and senses focused and caught up with my brain, I realised that the wailing from my dream had been replaced with the blaring of a siren.  _ A siren? The last time that played was…  _ I froze.  _ No, please no… _

“Wakey wakey, students,” came the delighted voice of Monomenon over the intercom. “I think something really bad has happened in the kitchen. Could you all do me a favour and check it out?” His voice cut out and the siren stopped and I jumped out of bed.  _ Something bad… in the kitchen? But Yoneda instructed us to stay in our rooms… So why the kitchen?  _ In that instant, a single chilling suspension rippled up my entire body and sent a flash of pain through my head.

“No… if it’s the kitchen then that means… No!” I ran for my door, tears already forming in my eyes.  _ Please let me be wrong. Please. _


	45. Death is a Dish Best Served Cold

When I leapt out of my room, I was alone in the corridor. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and fear was striking my heart. I sprinted down the corridor, not wanting to wait for any of the others. As I reached the end, Yoneda’s door opened. His expression was one of deep concern, confusion and panic.

“What happened? Why did that announcement play?” he demanded.

“Why are you still here? You haven’t killed the traitor?” I exclaimed. Yoneda was silent, but his eyes told me the answer.

“We need to go to the kitchen,” was all he said and he took off, and I followed closely behind.  _ If Yoneda hasn’t killed the traitor, then what has happened in the kitchen? Has someone else committed a murder? _ We rounded the corner and had almost reached the entrance to the cafeteria when we heard a shrill, terrified scream.

“No!”

“That sounded like Iowa,” I cried. We kept running, stormed through the cafeteria and headed straight for the entrance to the kitchen, where a scene of red awaited us. The scream had indeed come from Iowa, but not because she was the victim. She had reached the cafeteria ahead of us, and was kneeling beside a body, tears falling down her face.

A large kitchen knife, covered in crimson, was protruding from the body of Saza Yasu, the Ultimate Iconographer.

“What? Saza?” I whispered, frozen to the spot.  _ Why is Saza…? What?  _ My brain couldn’t process the scene, but I didn’t have time before the others arrived.

“I heard the announcement and came over as soon as-” Gawa panted heavily as he arrived behind Yoneda and I. He stopped speaking when he saw Saza. Iowa, still kneeling, turned around and looked at us, her eyes red and puffy.

“What’s going on?” she whispered. Then she saw Yoneda, and her face twisted into one of anger. “You! You did this, didn’t you? I thought you were going to kill the traitor in their room!”

“What are you talking-” Before Yoneda could respond, Iowa had stood up, walked over to Yoneda and struck him across the face with her hand. The smack echoed loudly.

“You bastard! You killed her!”

“Iowa, stop!” Gawa ordered. “We have bigger things to worry about - Nishi isn’t here yet, and once he sees this.” My veins felt as cold as ice.  _ Nishi, oh no! _ As if summoning him with my thoughts, the Ultimate Tattoo Artist appeared with Mitsumi, Morihei, Mina and Morino in tow.

“Who is it?” He shouted. “Who is-” He didn’t finish his sentence. Nobody could react in time to stop him from noticing the victim. “Sis? Why is she…? S-Sazzy?” He pushed past us and knelt next to her.

“No… not her…” Mitsumi squeaked, immediately bursting into tears. Nishi spluttered, unable to fathom what he was looking at. We could only watch in horror as Nishi put his hands on his sister.

“Sazzy? Why are you sleeping in the kitchen? Come on, Sazzy, it’s time to wake up,” he told her, shaking her body lightly.  _ I can’t watch this. _

“Yoneda,” I heard Morino whisper, “what have you done?” But Yoneda didn’t say anything; he was fixated on Nishi, mourning over the loss of his twin. It was then that I realised.  _ Yoneda lost his identical brothers, and the same thing has now happened to Nishi - does Nishi’s behaviour resonate with how Yoneda must have reacted when he saw his motivational video? _

“Sazzy, come on, please…” Nishi was distraught, and his attempts to wake up his sister grew more frantic. “Wake up, sis. Please don’t die, Sazzy!” Then, we heard another voice.

“B-b-big bro?” Saza’s eyes flickered open

“She’s alive?” Morihei gasped.

“Sazzy! You’re okay!”

“Big bro, where are we? Why am I so sleepy?” Nishi cradled his sister’s face in the cusp of his hands.

“It’s okay Sazzy, I’m here. Just stay awake, okay?”

“Nishi,” Saza whispered, tears falling down her differently-coloured eyes, “it hurts. It hurts so much, Nishi.” Nishi hushed her and started to sob loudly.

“It’s okay, Sazzy. Miyagawa is here, he can help! He has looked at… wounds before. He can save you, right Miyagawa?” Nishi looked back at us. For as long as I live, I will never forget the look of dismay on Nishi’s face. It was the face of a man who was watching his whole life being snatched away. Gawa looked at Nishi and nodded.

“Everyone,” he said, “please leave the room until I tell you otherwise. Morihei and Nishi, stay here with me, please.”

“Why me?” Morihei asked in surprise.

“Because,” Gawa whispered to us darkly, “I don’t think Saza’s going to survive. If that happens, I need you to subdue Nishi if necessary.” Morihei looked at him, startled, but nodded nervously.

“Okay.” Not waiting for us to leave, Gawa rushed over to the Yasu twins and gave some instructions, but I never heard them. Morino shepherded the group out of the kitchen and back into the cafeteria, where Iowa erupted.

“Yoneda, what did you do? Why did you kill Saza?”

“She’s not dead,” Yoneda replied simply. “Did you not hear her talk just now?”

“You bastard!” Iowa lunged at him and knocked him to the ground.

“Iowa, no!” I cried. But I was too late - Iowa slapped Yoneda hard across the face. Then she hit him again and again, each once connecting with a loud cracking sound. Yoneda didn’t even cry out as he was struck; he just sat there, emotionless.

“You killed my best friend! You should have died!” With each word, Iowa administered another hit.

“Iowa, that’s enough!” Mina exclaimed, rushing over to her friend tearfully. But Iowa didn’t notice, and when Mina tried to stop Iowa’s arm-

_ SMACK! _

“Ow!” Mina shouted, and fell to the ground. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, but Iowa accidentally struck Mina. Iowa was mortified.

“Mina! Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Iowa shoved Yoneda away and knelt down by the smaller girl. “Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? I am sorry, Mina.” Iowa began to cry loudly, and I realised we had never really seen this side of her.  _ Has she been bottling her emotions all this time? _ She held onto Mina tightly and apologised over and over again. Mina, also crying, just returned the hug wordlessly, comforting her friend. I noticed a large red mark on her cheek.

“Yoneda,” Morino said sullenly, “I think you owe the rest of us an explanation. What exactly happened to your plan? Is Saza the traitor?” Yoneda stood up and sneered at Morino.

“What do you fucking think?” Yoneda replied. “I told you yesterday that I would commit the murder the following day. By the looks of it, Saza was stabbed quite recently, given that she was alive. That could mean I killed her, but also…”

“But you are still in the academy,” I retorted curtly, “so if your plan succeeded, then there was no reason for that announcement to play. You should have already left the school. Plus, when I encountered you in the hallway after the announcement, you had no idea why it had played.” Yoneda glared at me.

“Is that true?” Mitsumi squealed. Yoneda lowered his head.

“Then, Saza isn’t the traitor,” Morino concluded, “but why is she-” Morino was unexpectedly interrupted by a howl. A pained, spine-chilling howl that came from the kitchen.  _ That was Nishi! Oh no… it can’t be… _

“No! Saza! Sazaaaaaaa!” Nishi stormed out of the kitchen and into the cafeteria. He stopped when he saw us and I gasped at his appearance. His hands were covered in Saza’s blood. He was still crying, and his eyes were grief-stricken, heart-shattering and tormented. Without another word, he ran away, his sobs ragged and hoarse. A few seconds later, Morihei stepped out of the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” she said, tears falling down her face and landing on the carpet, “Miyagawa tried his best, but he couldn’t save her.” I felt my heart snap.

“Then, she’s really…” Iowa whispered, horrified. Morihei reluctantly nodded her head.

“Can I see her?” Mina asked, and Morihei nodded again. She stepped to one side. Iowa and Mina flew past her into the kitchen.

“I’m going to find Nishi,” Mitsumi said firmly, “I don’t want him to be on his own.”

“Be careful, Mitsumi,” I warned. Mitsumi nodded in thanks, then ran after Nishi as fast his little legs could carry him. That left Yoneda, Morino, Morihei and I in the cafeteria.

“I think we should all go and see Saza,” Morino said. I had no courage to deny him, so we all walked back into the kitchen. The knife that had been thrust into Saza’s stomach was now lying beside her body, which was undeniably lifeless. Her eyes were closed, and her expression seemed peaceful, despite how much pain she must have been enduring. Behind her stood Gawa, who was looking at Saza with an unreadable expression.  _ He knew that he wouldn’t be able to save her. But even so, failing to save her has affected him. _ I tried to make eye contact with him, but he would not look away from Saza’s body.

“Wow, that girl took  _ forever  _ to succumb to her wounds,” came the voice of Monomenon as he landed into the kitchen, giggling. “At least my budget for expenditure on cheese is going to go down after this.”

“Why are  _ you _ here?” Iowa spat venomously.

“Don’t give me that attitude, Mint Choc! I came here with good news! There’s going to be a class trial!”

“What?” we all cried in unison.

“That means…” I said.

“Yep! Saza was not the assassination target of the person who killed her! I’m getting deja vu; I feel like this has happened before.” Monomenon was right, these circumstances were identical to those surrounding Hatanaka and Sanda’s trial.

“So, we have to investigate?” Morino asked.

“That’s correct! Although, I’m feeling really generous today, so I’ll give you a hint!”

“A hint?”

“Yes, so without further ado: you only need to investigate the first floor of the academy!”  _ What? Why is that the hint? _

“That’s not a very good hint,” Mina sniffled.

“Well it’s the only one you’re getting!” Monomenon growled. “Now then, after a certain amount of time, the class trial will commence, so do your best to figure out who committed such an awful crime. Bye!” Monomenon was whisked away and we were left alone.

“I don’t want to do this…” Iowa whispered. “I can’t believe that someone killed her.”

“Why Saza?” Morihei asked. That was the question I think I would have the hardest time answering.  _ If Saza isn’t the traitor, then what would the motive be for killing her? The culprit didn’t even kill their target. What’s going on? _

“We have to do this guys,” Mina told us all defiantly. “I don’t want to acknowledge that one of us killed Saza, but we have to do this. Nishi needs the answers…” The look in Nishi’s eyes after Saza had died flashed in my mind again and I shuddered.

“Mina’s right,” I agreed, “we have to do this for him.” The others agreed, crestfallen. Even Morino seemed upset by Saza’s death. “Let’s decide on the groups for investigation. Nishi and Mitsumi are out of the question, as Mitsumi will be consoling Nishi. I do not want Nishi participating in this trial.”

“That only leaves seven of us,” Morihei noted sadly.

“Perhaps that’s why Monomenon gave us that hint,” Morino stated. “Seven students exploring all four floors would take far too long.”

“I want to stay in the kitchen,” Iowa muttered.

“Me too,” Mina added.

“Iowa, I would like you to investigate with me, please,” Morino objected. Iowa looked at him with a confused expression.

“With me? Why- oh!” Iowa’s eyes lit up in realisation. She looked down at Saza’s body. “But-”

“Please, Iowa.” It was unlike Morino to beg; obviously Iowa’s cooperation was important to him. Iowa closed her eyes and nodded.

“Okay, Morino. Mina, can you look after Saza for me?” Mina clearly didn’t understand what was going on, but she agreed.

“Thank you, both,” Morino said. “Iowa and I will be investigating the corridor by the dormitories. I wish you all luck.” He retreated from the kitchen with Iowa, who didn’t keep her eyes off Saza until she was out of the room.

“I wonder why Morino wants to investigate with her specifically,” Morihei pondered. “Did they do something together?”

“I am sure we will find out during the trial,” I replied. As a group, we then decided that Mina would stay with Miyagawa in the kitchen for the purpose of protecting the body. That left Yoneda, Morihei and I.

“We cannot let someone investigate on their own,” Morihei said, “so we will have to investigate as a trio.”

“How delightful,” Yoneda muttered, but Morihei grabbed the collar of his shirt angrily.

“You’ve already seen me stop Nishi,” she snarled at him. “Snapping a twig like you will not be an issue, so you  _ will  _ cooperate.”

“Alright, I get it, you want my help,” Yoneda held up his hands, and Morihei let him go.

“So, where should we start?” Morihei asked.

“Since there is a limited number of students, I think it will be down to us to investigate most of the areas,” I responded. “Luckily, we have a large group, so I think we should start with the scene of the crime. I’ll ask Morino to look at Saza’s room, the pool area and laundry room.” I quickly typed a message on my Seiko-pad and sent it across to Morino and Iowa. Satisfied, I began my investigation with Morihei and Yoneda. We split up and began looking, so I headed over to Gawa and Mina, who were sat by Saza’s body.

“Hi,” I greeted them shyly.

“Hi, Ori,” Mina muttered miserably.

“Are you okay, Mina?” I asked. She rubbed her eyes.

“M’fine,” she said unconvincingly, “I just don’t understand who would want to kill Saza. Who am I going to eat cheese with, and burn food with, and steal cake from the kitchen with? Oh - don’t tell Iowa I steal cake!”

“I won’t,” I promised her with a small laugh. “Mina, can you think of any reason why Saza might have come into the kitchen, despite our agreement to stay in our rooms?” Mina shook her head.

“I don’t know. Saza never disobeyed Iowa, especially when it came to food and the kitchen. I’m sorry, I really don’t know why she was here.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure we can find the truth together,” I reassured her. She looked at me hopefully and gave me a hug, which I returned affectionately. Once she released me, I moved over to Gawa, who was analysing the wound on Saza’s body.

“Hey, Gawa.”

“Hello, Ori. Are you okay?” I nodded and asked the same thing of him. “I’m speechless, honestly. I never expected anyone to murder Saza. She was one of the kindest in our group. Not just to me, but to everyone. She always made us laugh, and her antics with Mina and Iowa never failed to put a smile on my face.”

“Yeah, she really was a wonderful person.”

“I just don’t understand  _ why _ someone would kill her. But I digress; we have an investigation to do. I suppose you want me to tell you what happened when you were all waiting in the cafeteria.”

“Yes, please,” I said softly, and I took hold of his hand. He gripped mine tightly.

“Well, the most obvious thing is that this knife is the murder weapon. She was stabbed three times in the abdomen, which means some of her vitals were punctured. The wounds are all consistent in shape and size with the blade, so I have no doubt that only this knife was used. She had no other injuries. As you saw, she somehow survived the stab wounds, so the real cause of death would have been blood loss.”

“Did the culprit leave her to die?” I asked in surprise. “They didn’t bother to check whether she was actually dead after stabbing her?”

“I don’t know for certain,” he replied solemnly, “but all three wounds have different directions and depth, so I think she was stabbed in either a panic, a rush or both.”

“A rush would make sense, because if Saza had said her attacker’s name before she had died-” I clasped my hand to my mouth. “Gawa, did Saza say anything to you or Nishi while we were outside?” He shook his head.

“Honestly,” he lowered his voice so that Mina wouldn’t hear, “she died almost as soon as you guys left the room. I didn’t want to upset Nishi too quickly, so I let him talk to her for a short while to give him some comfort while I pretended to attend to Saza’s body.”

“Fucking hell,” I whispered, “poor Nishi. I hope Mitsumi is taking care of him.”

“If anyone can handle Nishi, it would be Mitsumi,” Gawa said with a small smile.

“You’re right. Listen, Gawa, I have to move along with-”

“I know, Ori,” he interrupted me, “but before you go on, please take a look at Saza’s clothes.”  _ Her clothes? _ I looked down at Saza’s body, careful to avoid glancing at the blood spatters across her stomach and chest.

“I don’t see anything,” I told him after a few moments. At that point, Gawa let go of my hand and pointed at faint, beige stains that were speckled across the lower hem of Saza’s t-shirt and around her thighs.

“I saw these when I removed the knife from her stomach,” he said grimly. “I believe that they’re cake dough.”

“Cake dough? What?”

“Don’t look at me like that, there’s a tin of it over by the stove,” Gawa told me defensively. He pointed by the oven, where Morihei was investigating. I could see that atop the surface was a medium-sized baking tin. “I should think that the stains on Saza’s clothes are connected to that tin.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to Morihei about it,” I told him, and began to stand to leave him, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “Gawa?”

“You forgot something,” he told me and pecked me very quickly on the cheek. “There, you’re free to go now.” Not waiting for a response, a blushing Gawa turned back to looking at Saza’s body. Flushed red, I looked at Mina who was wiggling her eyebrows at me. I huffed in embarrassment and walked away, trying my best to hide a smile. Morihei saw me approaching and waved.

“Hi, Ori! Did you learn anything from Miyagawa and Mina? Oh, your face is red - did something happen?” I told her the information that Gawa and Mina had relayed to me. Morihei listened attentively and nodded once I had finished.

“Did you find anything over here?” I questioned, my eyes quickly scanning over the surfaces behind her. The cake tin, which Gawa had pointed out to me, was filled with what looked like cookie dough. Mixing tools, empty packages of ingredients and a recipe for chocolate chip cookies lay haphazardly around the tin, as though they were discarded as soon as the baker had finished with them.

“As you can see,” she said, “it’s a complete mess. I guess Iowa had been baking something this morning, although isn’t that strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“If Iowa was baking in here before Saza was stabbed, then wouldn’t Iowa have seen someone coming in or out of the kitchen? Additionally, how did blotches of cake mix end up on Saza’s clothes? If that were to happen, then Saza and Iowa must have been in the kitchen at the same time.”

“There’s something else,” I added, “Iowa was the first person to discover Saza’s body. In theory, she could have pretended to find Saza’s body.”

“However, that wouldn’t explain why Saza was still alive when we found her. If Iowa was the killer, then why didn’t she take the proper measures to ensure her victim had actually died? On the other hand, Iowa’s clothes were spotless when we all arrived at the scene of the crime, so how would she have stopped Saza’s blood from spraying her? And even if the evidence suggests it, I cannot believe for a moment that Iowa would kill Saza. In fact, other than Nishi, Iowa is the  _ last _ person I would expect to hurt Saza.”

“That’s the biggest problem with this case,” I replied, “who on earth would want to kill Saza? And we can’t even pass the blame onto  _ him. _ ” I jerked my head in the direction of Yoneda, who was still searching his designated area of the kitchen.

“I know,” Morhei muttered, “he can’t be the killer. If he was, he would have murdered the traitor in their room, not someone in the kitchen. Plus, how would he have known that Saza was in the kitchen?”

“Perhaps we should keep our minds off the culprit’s identity,” I suggested, feeling uneasy. “Did you notice anything else, Morihei?”

“The only thing I can think of that we haven’t already discussed,” she hummed, “is the layout of these kitchen utensils.”

“The utensils?” I remarked. I looked down at them. “There doesn’t seem to be anything off about their placement.”

“Exactly,” Morihei agreed, “but look around. If Saza was stabbed from the front, then she was facing her killer, right?”

“Oh, you’re right!” I exclaimed, realising what this meant. “If she had seen the culprit brandishing the kitchen knife, then presumably she would have fought with them.”

“Precisely, but the scene doesn’t look like there was a brawl. Additionally, there’s no blood in this section of the kitchen, so Saza was stabbed over where we found her body.”

“But what does that mean?” I wondered aloud.

“Well, if Saza was stabbed without a fight,” Morihei replied, “it means she either didn’t have time to react, or-”

“She knew the culprit well and felt no threat from them before they turned on her with the knife,” I finished her sentence automatically. To a professional detective, the evidence would suggest that Iowa is the most suspicious student, but as Saza’s friends, we knew that the likelihood of Iowa being the killer was almost zero. The likelihood of anyone being the killer other than Yoneda was almost zero, however the fact that there was a class trial meant that Yoneda could not be the killer.  _ Who is the culprit? _

“I think we’re all wrapped up here,” Morihei concluded, “we should grab the psycho and move on.” I giggled at Morihei’s attitude a little. However, before we could walk over to Yoneda, Gawa called for all three of us to come to him.

“Did you find something, Miyagawa?” Morihei asked.

“Yes, the murder weapon,” he said, holding up the blade in front of his face. The blood, still dripping from its tip, made me feel sick. With one gloved finger, he tapped along the blade’s edge. “Can you see here?” I squinted my eyes and looked at where he was indicating. A few, small strands of a dark material were stuck to the blood on the knife.

“Are those hairs?” Yoneda inquired in a tone so serious he shocked me.

“I think they might be fibres from clothes,” Gawa corrected him. “They’re a bit too thick to be human hair.”

“Then maybe a gorilla murdered Saza,” Yoneda suggested with a giggle. Morihei slapped him and he shut up.

“In any case,” Gawa continued irritably, “while you guys are investigating, look out for anything suspicious that has dark fibres. It may be a clue we need.”

“You’ve been really helpful, Gawa,” I thanked him, and he smiled in response.

“Oh, you two are so cute,” Yoneda squealed! Morihei raised her hand automatically.

“Yoneda, if you insist on spouting nonsense, I will hit you again.”

“I might like that…”

“Let’s test that theory.”

“Ow!” Yoneda went sprawling backwards from the attack.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side, Morihei,” I said with a nervous laugh.

“You think this is my bad side?” Morihei looked at me with a puzzled expression. “I’m just disciplining him.”

\---

We had now left the kitchen, deeming it fully searched. We instructed Mina and Gawa to let us know if they discovered anything additional. As we walked over to the area of the school that Iowa and Morino were looking over, my thoughts wandered to the topic of potential culprits.  _ So far, we have ruled out Yoneda of all people as the killer. The only other person we could rule out is the person who had Saza as their assassination target. Since whoever murdered Saza didn’t kill their given target, the student who  _ did  _ have her will be free of guilt.  _ I then remembered that I still hadn’t checked my Seiko-pad for the identity of my own target.  _ I will have to check it later _ , I told myself,  _ if I open it now and see Morihei or Yoneda’s portrait, that will be an awkward conversation. _

We rounded the corner to the dormitories and spotted Morino and Iowa. Morino was peering at the doors and taking photos, while Iowa was writing some notes down in a small, green notebook. We greeted them and asked what they were doing.

“I was concerned for Iowa’s safety yesterday,” Morino explained, “so I devised a plan for her to implement to make sure she was alone whenever she left her dormitory to make meals for us.”

“I assume that is why you asked for her to investigate with you,” Morihei quizzed, and Morino nodded.

“Correct. I needed her testimony to check whether the plan worked, but I did not take into account that a murder other than Yoneda’s of the traitor would happen, so the plan has not worked as well as I would have liked.”

“You’re really quite the womaniser, aren’t you, Morino-” Yoneda started to tease, but he was silenced by one look from Morihei.

“What was your plan?” I asked, eager to progress the conversation away from Morino’s ability to woo women. Morino pointed to the door they were currently observing, which led to Yoneda’s room. My eyes followed the direction of his outstretched finger and saw a small piece of tape that had been attached to both the door and its frame. It was now torn, presumably when Yoneda swung his door open after hearing Monomenon’s announcement.

“Morino asked me to stick a piece of tape to everyone’s doors each time I cooked a meal,” Iowa stated. “If the tape on any of the doors was broken, I would know that someone had broken the agreement, and then I could rush back to my room and tell everyone via the Seiko-pads who had left. However, as Morino said, we did not expect a murder to happen before Yoneda’s plan.” Yoneda shifted uncomfortably every time his failure was brought up, but he didn’t say a word.

“Furthermore,” Morino continued, “my plan was hindered by Saza’s unexpected death. We all rushed to the kitchen after hearing Monomenon’s announcement, so naturally everyone except Saza and the killer’s tape would have been broken at the same time. There is no feasible way of telling the tapes apart.”

“Nevertheless, Morino thought it best to check the tape in any case. The only difference we could find was that the tape on Saza’s door was a lot more frayed than the others.”

“What could that mean?” Morihei wondered aloud.

“It means she probably left her room much earlier than anyone else,” Morino responded, “and it also means that the killer left their own not long before the announcement played.”

“Well, that  _ does  _ clear up the mystery of why the killer didn’t think to check they’d actually murdered Saza before leaving her in the kitchen,” Yoneda tutted.

“We have taken photos of all the doors,” Iowa ignored Yoneda; she couldn’t even look him in the eyes. “And I also took pictures of each of the doors last night when I applied the tape originally, as a precautionary measure.”

“That’s great. Thank you both,” I said happily. “Were you able to look into the other rooms?”

“Yes,” Morino confirmed, “however, we weren’t able to find anything that seemed out of the ordinary.” He seemed to hesitate a little but tried to hide it.

“Are you sure, Morino?” I pressed. He sighed.

“Well, in her Saza’s dormitory,” he said, “I found some dark fibres in her bathroom sink. I thought it was nothing, but then I remembered that Saza didn’t wear dark clothes. She wears a yellow t-shirt with a pizza design on the front and denim shorts. I thought it was odd that dark fibres would be in her bathroom.”

“Dark fibres?” Morihei cried, turning to me. “Ori, do you think…?”

“Without a doubt – we also found dark fibres at the scene of the crime. On the murder weapon.”

“What?” Morino and Iowa asked in shock. Morino recovered the quickest.

“So, the killer came back to Saza’s room. That might explain the other thing.”

“You mean the chocolate chip we found in the bathroom as well?” Iowa looked at him incredulously. “Come on, Morino, there’s no way that’s-”

“Hold on, did you say chocolate chip?” I shouted. Iowa jumped.

“Yes… why?”

“In the kitchen,” Morihei quickly explained, “we found a baking tin by the crime scene. It contained a cake dough mixed with chocolate chips.”

“What? Saza was  _ baking _ by herself in the kitchen before she was stabbed?” Iowa clasped her hands to mouth, the notepad falling to the floor.

“So you never came to the kitchen, Iowa?”

“What? No, I was here there last night to prepare ingredients for tomorrow, but discovering Saza was the first time I’d been in the kitchen today.”

“There were also flecks of the dough on her clothes, so it makes sense that Saza was the one doing the baking.”

“How strange…” Iowa muttered, but before I could ask her what she meant by that, the siren that had played earlier sounded again.

“Well, my darling wannabe detectives,” came the shrill voice of Monomenom, “I think you’ve had enough time to investigate this doozy of a case! What will  _ brie  _ the outcome of the trial – what? What do you mean, I can’t make cheese puns, Monoworth? Nobody else is going to-” With a pop, the intercom stopped.

“I think that means that it’s time for the trial,” Yoneda said simply, and walked away from our group.

“Can we trust him?” Iowa asked, narrowing her eyes at his retreating figure.

“In truth, he hasn’t been that useful,” I admitted. “But we may need his testimony, since all the circumstances of this case were defined by his plan.”

“Well, he is the killer,” Iowa concluded, folding her arms. “Nobody else would kill Saza – I refuse to believe that anyone else could do that.” As we walked towards the elevator, where Yoneda was already waiting, discussing our theories for the case, I suddenly remembered.

“Nishi and Mitsumi! Where are they?” I gasped.

“Mitsumi contacted us shortly after the investigation began,” Morino told me. “He will bring Nishi to the trial grounds, but there might be a delay. He said that Nishi is completely unresponsive, so we should avoid asking questions directly to Nishi.”

“Did you hear that, Yoneda?” Morihei warned. Yoneda didn’t even look at her.

“Whatever.” After a few minutes, we were all gathered outside the elevator, except for Nishi and Mitsumi. Then, ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Thirty.

“I’m getting worried,” I finally broke the silence. “What’s taking them so long?” Morino shushed me suddenly, and I frowned.

“I hear someone coming.” We all turned to look down the corridor and, as Morino had heard, someone was indeed walking. Mitsumi, with a large ribbon wrapped around each of his arms, was pulling something out of view. Looking at Mitsumi’s face, it was clear that whatever he was dragging was a lot heavier than he was. That object then appeared – it was Nishi. His face was hidden from view, but his posture indicated that he had no energy, that he was barely able to stand up. One of Nishi’s wrists, the one that Mitsumi had tied a ribbon too when Yoneda first announced his plan, was held in front of his torso, and both of the large ribbons that Mitsumi was pulling were snapped around Nishi’s wrist.  _ Mitsumi, you could have just asked one of us for help. _ Mitsumi’s face was bright red from the workout of dragging someone much taller than him, but nonetheless he waved at us when he saw that we were watching this unusual spectacle.

“I’m okay,” he called. “Nishi is just very tired!” But when Nishi’s face came into view, it became clear that he was more than a little tired.

“He looks completely destroyed,” Gawa whispered to me, and I could only nod. Nishi’s skin had paled to a worrying shade of creamy white, and his eyes, fixed on his stiffly shuffling feet, stared, lifeless and unblinking. His mouth moved slightly, but there was no sound. My heart broke just looking at him.  _ Nishi… _

Behind us, there was a loud metallic crash. The elevator had arrived. As we had done three times already, we obediently stepped inside and waited for the cage to carry us to our next trial. I watched as Mitsumi unwrapped the ribbons from his arms and discarded them on the floor. He was looking up at Nishi desperately, as if willing the taller boy to do something. But Nishi’s body was frozen; it didn’t move an inch. Even when we arrived at the trials grounds, Nishi didn’t move, and it took the combined efforts of Gawa and Morihei to be able to lift him to his podium. Awaiting us, as they always did, were Monomenon and Monoworth.

“Wow, the tattoo boy is  _ really _ upset,” Monomenon whistled. “What did you do, Mitsumi, forget to blow him or something?”

“Shut up,” Mitsumi commanded. “We don’t have time for your nonsense. We have to help Nishi.” I stared at the Ultimate Tattoo Artist and his dull, greying eyes.  _ Yes, we have to do this for him. Hang in there, Nishi, we’ll fight for you. You take this time to grieve; we will hunt the truth. No matter how hard the truth may be to accept! _

With fear in my heart and fire in my stomach, the fourth trial began.


End file.
